


Heart of the Revolution

by BlackxFirexTazz



Category: One Piece
Genre: Awkward situations, F/M, Fluffy as hell, Smut, gotta have some angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-05
Updated: 2017-08-23
Packaged: 2018-11-23 17:30:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 55,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11407155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackxFirexTazz/pseuds/BlackxFirexTazz
Summary: Will add summary when I figure out where to take this. Starts off near the end of the timeskip





	1. Meeting

A blond-haired young man was walking around the island, not wanting to go back to Headquarters just yet. He had his hands in his pockets and his gaze glued to the ground in front of him as he walked. Eventually, the sound of several gruff voices made him look up to see what looked like a group of pirates surrounding a black-haired woman who, to his shock, had only one arm, the bandages covering her empty shoulder peeking out from the sleeve of her black tank top.

He took a step forward as he got ready to intervene when her voice cut through the air and sent a shiver down his back, "Don't look down on me just because I have one arm. I can still take you all down, you bunch of no-names." The one who appeared to be the captain didn't take kindly to her words so he lunged, only for her to step to the side and raise her right leg completely vertical in the air. She brought her heel down on the back of his head, a small crater forming around the man once he hit the ground.

That seemed to scare the rest of the pirates off and they ran off, leaving their beaten captain. The woman clenched her fist and turned around to resume walking in the direction of the young man. Upon seeing her face, his eyes widened in recognition before actually taking in he bandages covering her right eye.

She walked closer and was about to pass him when his hand shot out on its own and grabbed her right arm, making her look back. His mouth just opened and closed as he couldn't think of what to say. After a moment, she turned to face him and slightly tilted her head as she glanced at the familiar top hat on his head, "Do I know you...?"

He let out a soft chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck, scuffing a boot against the ground, "You probably don't recognize me. It's been a long time, after all..." He gave her a grin and her eye widened as it quickly filled with tears, "N-No... This can't be... Y-You're dead..." He smiled softly and opened his arms, "I'm back, now."

He wrapped his arms around her just as her knees gave out and he sank to the ground with her as she grasped his coat, "S-Sabo..." She sobbed quietly into his shoulder as he rubbed her back, ignoring the stares that they were receiving. After a moment, she pulled away and he found himself sitting upside down against a wall, taking a moment to realize that he had been thrown by her.

She stood before pulling him up to his feet and wiping her eye, "You're such an ass... Why haven't you contacted us in all this time?" He looked at the ground guiltily and shuffled his feet, "I had gotten amnesia after the incident. My memories didn't return until Ace...." He looked up at her to see her grip her left shoulder where her arm should be, a hard look coming to her eye, "Ace... I couldn't get to him in time..."

He pulled her into another hug and rubbed her back again, "You did what you could. Don't blame yourself for the actions of others." He pulled back and held her shoulders with a soft smile, "I'm just glad that you survived." She stared at him for a moment before getting a determined look, "I want to join the Revolutionaries."

He blinked at her before furrowing his brows, "Are you sure?" She nodded and clenched her fist, "I want to make a change in this world." He watched her for a moment before nodding, "Alright. We'll have to take it up with Dragon-san."

She stiffened at the mention of the man before nodding, "Alright." Sabo led her to the ship before helping her board. Once they reached the deck, he turned to her and looked her over, "Did you get any other injuries?"

She nodded and pointed to the bandages over her right eye, "Yeah. This eye is gone and so is my right leg. I just got a prosthetic a few days ago and I was looking for one for my arm. I also got a lot of scars on my torso." Sabo nodded, eyes moving to her left shoulder, "We can take care of that." She looked at him for another moment before looking off to the side.

After an awkward silence, Sabo cleared his throat and gestured towards the inside of the ship, "Come. I'll show you to a room you can use while we travel. It should take a day or two to reach Headquarters." She nodded and followed him inside, letting him guide her to a room before he opened the door for her, "Here. My room is just across the hall if you need anything." He watched her nod and take a step before suddenly falling forward.

His eyes widened and he caught her before turning her to face him, chuckling softly to see that she fell asleep, "I'll have to ask about that later." He picked her up and carried her over to the bed before setting her down. He watched her face for a moment as he ran his fingers over the bandages.

He then left the room, shutting the door behind him before heading across the hall to his room and retiring for the day. Tazz woke to the sound of a knock and she sat up, rubbing her eye with a soft groan, "Come in..." The door opened and Sabo peeked inside before smiling and entering with two bowls of what seemed to be soup, "Good evening. I thought you'd be hungry."

As if on cue, her stomach let out a loud growl and she nodded, "Yeah..." He sat next to her on the bed and handed her one of the bowls, "If you need any more, feel free to tell me." She nodded again and took the bowl, blowing on the contents before sipping it.

She let out a soft hum before downing the rest rather quickly as Sabo gave her an odd look. When she lowered the bowl, she blushed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand as she looked away, "Sorry... It's been a while since I've eaten..." He smiled and shook his head as he ate his own soup, "Don't worry about it. It's understandable."

They sat in silence as he ate before he stood and took her bowl, "We should be arriving at Headquarters sooner than expected since the weather is good." She nodded and watched him head to the door. He stopped and turned his head back to her with a small smile, "You should get some more rest. You know where I'll be if you need anything."

He left the room and she sighed softly, still feeling conflicted about his sudden appearance after so long. She flopped back on her bed and stared at the ceiling before drifting off to sleep. After a few minutes, the door opened and Sabo peered in to see her fast asleep and he smile softly before quietly closing the door, "Sleep well, Tazz..."

She woke with a start, quickly sitting up and feeling the cold sweat on her skin drying. She glanced around before remembering where she was, letting her shoulders slump with a shaky sigh. She got out of bed and slipped from her room before moving and standing in front of Sabo's door.

She raised her hand and was about to knock when she paused, wondering if she should really wake him over a nightmare. She sighed again and lowered her head before turning away just as the door opened, making her freeze in place. Sabo blinked at her back before leaning against the doorway, "Tazz? You alright?"

She turned to face him with a nod, her fingers tapping against her leg, "Yeah. I'm fine..." He frowned softly and stepped closer, "I know something's up. You're doing that tic that you've been doing since we were kids where you tap your leg. What's wrong?" He put a gentle hand on her arm and lightly squeezed and she just realized that he wasn't wearing the complex outfit that he had on earlier, now wearing a black t-shirt and flannel pants.

She bit her lower lip and looked off to the side, "It's nothing..." He arched a skeptic brow and gently pulled her inside his room, closing the door behind her and crossing his arms, "It's not nothing, Tazz. Talk to me. Please..." She looked at him for a moment before running her hand through her hair, "I... I had a nightmare. About being back at Marineford..."

He frowned again and wrapped his arms around her, "It's alright. You're safe now." He started rocking side-to-side, rubbing her back and leaning his cheek on the top of her head, "I'm not gonna let anything happen to you now that we're together again." She put her arm around him and gripped the back of his t-shirt as she buried her face in his shoulder.

After about a minute, he felt her grip on him relax as she leaned on him, making him look down to see that she had fallen asleep. He smiled softly and picked her up before carrying her over to his bed, figuring that it'd be better for her to be near him in case she had another nightmare. He set her down under the covers before crawling in and closing his eyes.

The next morning, he woke and stared blearily at the ceiling before realizing that there was weight somewhat on top of him on his right. He looked over and saw Tazz with her arm clutching his shirt and her leg thrown over both of his, much like she did when they were children, and she even had a bit of drool slipping from her mouth. He smiled at the sight and gently pried her off of him, pausing when she grumbled before turning the other way.

He chuckled softly and got up, changing quickly before heading to get some breakfast for the both of them. When he returned, she was already sitting up with a confused glare aimed at the covers and the sight made him chuckle. She looked over at him and blinked before fully waking up, "Sabo? How did I get in here?"

He walked over and sat down before handing her a large plate full of food, "You had a nightmare last night and I brought you in here." She hummed and took a bite, "Is that so? Sorry if I bothered you..." He waved a hand, "Don't worry about it. We should arrive at HQ by evening."

She nodded and continued eating, thinking about what was to come. Sabo watched her from the corner of his eye as he ate, curious as to what was running through her mind. After finishing, Sabo stands and started reaching towards her plate when her hand stopped him, making him blink.

She smiled and stood, "I'll go with you. I could use some exercise..." He returned her smile and nodded before exiting the room with her right behind. He remembered something and lagged back a bit so he could walk next her, "I was gonna ask you yesterday, but why did you pass out once I showed you your room?"

She blushed lightly and kept her gaze on the floor, "Narcolepsy. I got it from Gramps. Luckily, it's not very bad and doesn't hit at bad times." He hummed before looking back ahead as they reached the kitchen. Before she could protest, Sabo took her plate with a grin before putting them in the sink and turning back to her, "Let's go out to the deck and get some fresh air."

She nodded and smiled before following him out to the deck, taking a deep breath once they got there. She walked over to the railing and leaned with her arm draped over it and a small smile on her face as Sabo stood to her right. They stayed in silence for a moment before Sabo looked at her, "You ready to become a revolutionary?"

She nodded and clenched her fist, "I am." He watched her for a moment before looking back out at the sea. He moved his hand over and lightly placed it on top of hers, giving it a light squeeze, "You can do this. I just know it." She smiled softly and nodded.


	2. Recruitment

Once HQ came into view, Tazz began to get nervous at the thought of meeting the man behind it all. She shuffled her feet and tapped her fingers against her leg before grasping the fabric of her cargo pants. A hand fell to her right should and she looked over to Sabo to see him smiling softly at her, "You'll be fine, Tazz. I'll be right there with you."

She nodded and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Once they docked, Sabo led her off the ship and inside the large building, heading straight to the meeting room where he figured the leader would be. When they got there, he placed her against the wall beside the doorway before he knocked on the door.

After receiving a gruff 'Enter' from the other side, Sabo walked in and put his hands behind his back, "Dragon-san, I have returned from my mission." The intimidating man nodded and leaned back in his seat, "I see. Anything else?" The blond nodded and shifted his eyes around the room, glancing at the many other revolutionaries before returning his gaze to Dragon, "I have someone who wants to join our cause."

Dragon put a hand on his chin and nodded, "Let them in." Sabo smiled and turned his head back to the partially opened door, "You can come in now." Dragon's eyes widened when he saw the woman walk into the room and he stood from his chair.

A tense silence fell over the room before Dragon found his voice, "Tazz..." She bit her lower lip before taking a breath and nodding, "Dad..." The room was silent once more before the room was filled with various confused shouts, "WHAT?!"

Dragon's shoulders slumped as he walked around the large table, stepping closer until he was a few feet away from her. He spared a glance to the dumbfounded revolutionaries before returning his gaze to Tazz, "This is Tazz, my oldest child and only daughter..." The two had a small stare-down before Dragon did something that surprised the whole room: he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her to him.

Tazz tensed before relaxing after a moment, putting her arm around him in an awkward attempt to return the hug. Dragon eventually pulled back and looked at her, eyes going to her empty left shoulder as he frowned, "What happened to you?" She looked down and sighed softly, "Marineford..."

He sighed as well before removing his hands from her shoulders, "The paper from that time didn't mention how badly you were injured..." She let out a small chuckle, "Yeah? Well, it's a lot worse than just this..." He watched her before putting his hand on the back of her head and pulling her to his chest again, "I'm sorry I didn't watch you grow up..."

She grasped the side of his cloak, "It's fine, I guess... I understand why you couldn't." He pulled away again and stepped back, "Are you sure that you want to join the revolution?" She nodded and gave a determined stare, "Yes."

He stared at her before nodding, "Very well." He looked over to Sabo, who had been quietly watching the exchange, "Sabo. I want you to get her settled in and work with her until she adjusts. Then you should go about finding her a replacement for her arm." The blond nodded and stood straighter, "Yes, Dragon-san."

Sabo turned to Tazz and smiled, holding an arm out towards the door, "Come on. I'll show you to your room." She nodded and followed him out, leaving the revolutionaries staring at the door. Ivankov walked up to Dragon and folded his arms, "I didn't know you had a daughter until I met her at Impel Down during zhe breakout. She told me zhat she vas zhere because Kuma had separated her from zhe Straw Hats. She vill make a great revolutionary just like you."

Sabo walked next to Tazz and looked over at her, "How was it seeing your dad after so long?" She rubbed the back of her neck and looked at the ground, "It was...odd. The only reason I even knew his name is because my grandpa slipped up last time we met before the war and knew what he looked like from newspapers. I wasn't expecting a hug from the world's most wanted man..." Sabo chuckled softly and patted her back, "I wasn't expecting it either, but I think that now would be a good chance to become a family."

She looked up at him with a sheepish smile, "You really think so?" He grinned and nodded, "I know so." She sighed softly and smiled a bit brighter before Sabo stopped in front of a door, "Here's your room. Mine is just across the hall."

She smirked a bit and put her hand on her hip, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you want to keep me close, Sabo." He blushed lightly and averted his eyes, clearing his throat but not quite responding directly, "A-Anyway, you should go get settled in. It's almost dinner time, so I'll come get you when it's ready." She nodded and entered her room, waving to Sabo before closing the door and walking to the bed and flopping back on it.

Her eye snapped open as she was startled by a knock at her door. She groaned softly and sat up, rubbed her eye with the heel of her hand before looking at the window and seeing that the sun was nearly below the horizon. She stood and stretched her arm over her head before walking over to the door and opening it to see Sabo.

He smiled and tipped his head in greeting, "Evening. Dinner's ready." She nodded back and ruffled her hair as they started walking down the hall. Sabo glanced at her and chuckled softly, "Did your narcolepsy hit?" She nodded and rubbed her cheek, "How'd you know?"

He smiled and brought a gloved hand up to her face, wiping her chin, "Drool." She blushed and pouted as she kept her eye forward. He laughed softly and opened the door to the dining room, "Here we are. We have a lot of various dishes, so pick what you'd like."

Her eye lit up and she rushed over to a huge table with many different types of food and she grabs several plates while Sabo took one with a chuckle at her enthusiasm. He led her to a table that had a brown-haired woman and a fishman sitting at it before he sat down with Tazz next to him. The brunette blinked at the strange woman and smiled, "Hello. What's your name?"

Before Tazz could respond, Sabo answered for her, "This is Monkey D. Tazz. Dragon-san's daughter." Koala took a moment to process the information before her eyes widened, "Eh?!" Tazz smiled sheepishly and nodded in greeting, "Nice to meet you..."

She snapped out of her shock before smiling brightly, "Sorry about that! I'm Koala!" She put a hand on the fishman's shoulder, "This here is Hack." He nodded and went back to eating as Tazz smiled, "Nice to meet you two."

After introductions, Tazz and Sabo begin eating. She soon cleared her plates before patting her stomach with a content sigh as Sabo's chuckled, "I see you still eat as much as Luffy." She smiled and nodded, "Yeah. I felt kind of bad for his chef when I was with them. He had to make more food than he usually would have." He smiled softly as he looked at her before reaching over and wiping his thumb over the corner of her lips to get a crumb before putting it to his lips absentmindedly.

Tazz, Koala, and Hack all stared at him with wide eyes, the first having a decent blush. He blinked at them before realizing what he did, a bright blush quickly covering his whole face, "I-Wha-Uh... S-Sorry..." His flustered reaction made them laugh softly before Tazz smiled at him, "No need to apologize."

He tipped his head forward to hide his blush with the shadow from the rim of his hat, the tips of his ears burning red. He stood abruptly and was about to gather his and Tazz's dishes when Koala stopped him with a smile, "I'll take care of this. You two should go catch up." He smiled thankfully at the mousy-haired girl before turning to Tazz as she stood, "I'll show you around the compound."

She smiled and nodded before they went off. After a few minutes of walking in an awkward silence, Sabo cleared his throat and scratched his cheek with a finger, "S-So, what have you been up to?" She smiled again and looked ahead, "Oh, you know. Pirate stuff. Kicking ass and raising hell."

He chuckled and looked over at her, "Any notable adventures?" She grinned and nodded, "Yep. We went to a sky island, basically saved a kingdom, went to an island-like ship with a bunch of zombies, invaded Enies Lobby, and so on and so forth." He mirrored her grin, "That's amazing."

She blushed lightly and looked away, rubbing the back of her neck with a smile, "It's been fun. I will admit, I'm gonna miss them. Probably Zoro and Sanji the most." Sabo tilted his head a bit and blinked at her, "Pirate Hunter Zoro and Black Leg Sanji?" She nodded and put her hand in her pocket, "Yeah. It was really entertaining watching them fight. Not to mention that Sanji is really sweet and Zoro was fun to tease."

He fell silent for a moment before turning his gaze forward, "I'm sure you'll find something like that here." She looked up at him to see him with a pensive look on his face before she nudged him with a smile, "I'm just glad that we're together again. Maybe we can become some sort of dynamic duo?" He looked back down at her before smiling and nodding, "That'd be great."

Sabo led Tazz around the compound and explained what would go on in each area. They passed by the sparring circle and she nudged his side with her elbow, "We'll have to spar sometime. Gotta see if we're still matched in strength." He chuckled and nodded, "Maybe tomorrow."

After finishing up the tour, he took her back to her room only to see Dragon standing in front of her door like he was waiting for them to get back, "Ah, Dragon-san." She looked over at the older man and blinked as he turned to her, "Tazz... If it's alright with you, I'd like to catch up on lost time." She nodded and looked to Sabo with a smile, "Thanks for showing me around. Goodnight."

He returned her smile and turned to his door, "Goodnight." Once he went inside, Tazz opened her door and entered with Dragon behind her. She sat on her bed and her father taking a seat at the desk across the room.

They sat in silence for a moment before Dragon cleared his throat, "So... How is Luffy?" She smiled at the thought of the boy and looked at the floor, "He had been doing good up until Marineford. He was almost killed by Akainu... I don't know his condition at the moment, but the last I saw him, he was being taken by Trafalgar Law so I assume he's healed." Dragon's gaze hardened for a moment before softening as he looked at his daughter, "How exactly did you get your injuries?"

She sighed softly and ran her hand through her hair, "First, Hawk-eyes Mihawk cut my eye and then I was running towards Ace when Akainu caught my arm. He started melting it and I had to basically rip it off to get away. After Ace was... I guess I went into some sort of berserk mode and killed a lot of marines. Doflamingo cut off my right leg to try to immobilize me and I just recently got a prosthetic for it. Some random marine slashed my lower stomach and side while I was blacked out. The last two are ones that I was told about when I regained consciousness." He watched her for a moment, "Who tended to your wounds?" She crossed her legs and propped her chin in her hand, "Marco the Phoenix. They got me out of there before I could become another casualty. I stayed with them for about a year before going off on my own."

He rubbed his chin, "They have my thanks. If not for them, you most likely wouldn't be here right now." She nodded and smiled softly, "They're a great crew..." The fond look on her face brought a small smile to Dragon's lips, "What kind of adventures have you been on?"

She grinned and began enthusiastically recalling the adventures she had with her brother and his crew, hand gesturing wildly for emphasis when needed. The energy she had when speaking of her travels brought a smile to his face as he listened, glad that she made it out of all of them okay. After about and hour, she finished up telling her tales and stifled a yawn, making her father chuckle and stand.

He stepped closer and put a hand on her head, lightly ruffling her hair, "You should get some sleep. I will see you in the morning." He let his hand linger on her head for a moment longer before removing it and heading towards the door, pausing and looking back once he put his hand on the doorknob, "I'm glad to see you again, Tazz. Goodnight." She smiled and nodded, "You too. Goodnight, dad."

A few minutes after Dragon left, a soft knock sounded at her door, "Come in." Sabo entered the room and shut the door behind him, smiling when he saw her yawn. He walked over and sat next to her, "So how did it go?"

She smiled and rubbed her neck, "It went pretty well, I think." He smiled and looked out the window, "That's good." Right after saying that, he felt a weight on his shoulder and looked down to see that Tazz had fallen asleep and has her head leaning against him.

He smiled and eased her down to her bed before pulling the covers over her. He stood and lightly traced his fingers over her cheek, "Goodnight." With that, he left and went across to his room for the night.


	3. Training

Tazz jolted up into a sitting position when her door was kicked open by an excited Koala with a sheepish Sabo trailing behind her. Tazz narrowed her eye at the two in half-awake confusion as they snickered, seeing that her hair was messier than usual and she had drool on her chin. She watched them, "Fuckin'.... hooter hat?"

Sabo stifled his laughter with a hand over his mouth as he looked off to the side while Koala openly laughed at Tazz's gibberish before wiping a tear from her eyes. Once she calmed down enough to speak, she walked over to Tazz's bed, "Good morning! You weren't answering when we knocked so we had to take drastic measures. The reason we're waking you up is so you can be assigned a mentor of sorts." The one-eyed woman just stared at her, slowly comprehending what the other woman was saying before nodding.

Koala smiled brightly and Tazz actually shielded her eye from the enthusiasm radiating from her, making Sabo chuckle. Tazz held her hand out and waved it at Koala, "Okay, okay! Tone down the happy!" Koala giggled and started heading to the door, "Meet us at the cafeteria after you change, Tazz-chan."

She waved before leaving and Tazz stared at the door before frowning, catching Sabo's attention, "What's wrong?" She rubbed the back of her neck, "I just remembered that I don't have any clothes..." The blond smiled and went to the door, "I'll let you borrow some of mine until we can get you some."

She watched him leave before returning with some folded clothes in his arms. He walked over and put them on the bed before turning and heading to the door, "I'll be out here if you need me." Tazz watched the door shut behind him before sliding out of bed and pulling her clothes off with some difficulty before unfolding the clothes and putting on the pants first.

She started trying to put on the light blue t-shirt but ended up getting stuck. She huffed for a moment before reluctantly calling, "Uh, Sabo? I need some help..." Sabo entered and blushed when he saw her stomach before realizing her situation.

He chuckled softly and walked over before tugging her shirt down the rest of the way and grabbing her belt that was slung on the bed. He pulled it through the loops before snickering at the very eloquent 'F U' engraved on the buckle, "Classy." She grinned and nodded, "I know, right?"

After helping her put her boots on, Sabo led her to the cafeteria for breakfast. She piled food up high on a plate before going to the table that Koala and Hack were sitting at. She sat in front of Koala and began eating happily, humming at the taste of the food, "So good~!"

Sabo sat down next to her and they chuckled at her reaction. After a moment, Sabo hooked a finger on his chin in thought, "I wonder who will be assigned as your mentor..." Tazz swallowed her food before looking at him, "I hope it's someone I can get along with."

After eating, Sabo took Tazz to Dragon's office before knocking on the door, "Dragon-san? I brought Tazz." Her father's gruff voice sounded from the other side, "Come in." Sabo opened the door for her and she smiled, "Such a gentleman~!"

He blushed lightly and entered after her and shutting the door behind him. He blinked when he saw that they were the only ones in the room before Dragon leaned back in his chair, "Tazz, I have chosen the most competent and diligent person in this army to teach you what you must know. He is also the most trustworthy person I know. Your mentor will be... the Chief of Staff, Sabo." The two took a moment to process what he said before Tazz smiled and Sabo furrowed his brows, "Sir, are you sure about this?"

Dragon nodded and folded his hands over his desk, "I am. I believe you are fully capable of taking on a recruit to teach and now is the perfect opportunity." Sabo mulled it over for a bit before nodding, "Very well. Thank you for this chance, Dragon-san." He nodded and excused the two young adults so they could begin Tazz's training.

They walked down the hall and she looked over at the blond, "So, what do we start with?" Sabo put a knuckle to his chin as he thought, "Well, we already know that you know how to fight. I suppose we can start with the protocols and whatnot. Then we can see what you could improve on your fighting skills." She hummed and nodded, "Alright. I feel like I'm going to like the second part more than the first..."

He chuckled and led her to where he could begin teaching her everything she needed to know about the army and all the protocols. This went on for a good few hours before it was time for lunch. They walked down to the cafeteria together and Sabo chuckled at how Tazz's face was flushed from having to contain so much information.

They grabbed some food before sitting at their table, but not seeing Koala nor Hack. Sabo began eating, "I guess they got sent on a mission." Tazz looked over at him with her fork in her mouth, "How often do you all get sent out?"

He hummed in thought before taking another bite, "Fairly often, I'd say. We have a lot of work to do." She groaned softly, becoming less enthusiastic about eating, "Oh, joy..." Sabo chuckled and nudged her shoulder with his elbow, "Don't be like that. Once you get in the swing of things, it actually gets to be pretty satisfying."

She looked over at him and blinked as she tilted her head, "Really?" He blushed at her rather cute expression before nodding with a smile, "Yeah. After lunch, we'll see how your skills are, okay?" She smiled and nodded before turning back to her food and eating quickly, making the blond chuckle.

After eating, Sabo led her to the sparring area and stood across from her as he tossed his hat to a safe distance, "Alright. Try not to rely on your powers too much for this." She nodded and looked at her left shoulder, frowning a bit, "You sure I can do this with one arm?" He frowned as well before smiling, "Of course."

She smiled and they both got into fighting stances. A distant sound acted as a mark for Tazz to launch at him with her fist pulled back. Sabo lifted his hand and blocked her punch before lowering his forearm to block a kick to his side, grunting a bit from the strain since he wasn't expecting so much power in her kick.

Tazz suddenly vanished from his sight and he barely ducked down to avoid the kick to his head before he spun to face her, "Where'd you learn to do that?!" She grinned and jumped, flipping forward and aiming her heel at his head, "I mooched the technique off of CP9 at Water Seven." He crossed his arms over his head to block the kick before pushing her away with a grin to mirror hers, "Impressive."

She skidded back before using Soru again to dash around him, only staying in one spot long enough to throw a punch or aim a kick. A bit of sweat started to drip down his temple since he wasn't expecting such a fight. When she aimed a kick to the center of his chest, he grabbed her ankle before twisting her leg and kicking the other out from under her.

He pushed her to the ground with his knees on each side of her and one hand loosely twisting her arm behind her back and the other grasping her shoulder. She panted and turned her head to the left so she could look at him with her good eye, "Damn. Looks like you got me." He stayed there for a moment to catch his breath before he realized the position they were in.

His face flushed and he quickly scrambled off of her while stuttering an apology as she sat up. She smiled at him and tilted her head, "You don't have to apologize." He shut his mouth and looked away, still blushing brightly before regaining his composure, "You still fight well. I forgot just how wild your style is. It's like you rely on instinct more than technique."

She blinked at him before nodding, "I think I do. I never noticed until now, but my body usually moves on its own." Sabo raised a knee and draped an arm over it as he leaned back on his other hand, "I think your fighting style would become a force to be reckoned with if you start implementing strategies into your moves." She hummed in thought as she sat back, "You know what, I think that'd be a good idea."

Sabo smiled and stood up, patting himself off before holding a hand out to her, "Come on. Let's go get cleaned up and then discuss some strategies that would work with your moves." She grinned and took his hand, letting him pull her up to her feet before she patted her pants off. He walked over to his hat and stooped down to pick it up, placing it in its rightful spot before leading her to his office.

Once they got there, he sat down at his desk and she took a seat across from it with a small smirk, "So, Chief of Staff, huh? Pretty damn impressive, blondie. Being the second most powerful person in the army." He blushed lightly and pouted a bit at the nickname as his shoulders slumped a bit, "I was wondering when you'd call me that." He leaned back in his chair and folded his hands in his lap as he smiled, "But, yeah. I've worked hard to get to where I am."

She smiled and leaned a bit sideways in the chair, "I'd say so. I hope I can be an important figure some day." He blinked before giving her a determined smile, "I believe you can. Trust in yourself and work to the best of your abilities." She gave him a slightly surprised stare before she returned the smile, "I will. I can't stand doing things half-assed."

She moved her chair a bit closer and leaned her arm on his desk, "So, about these strategies?" Sabo grinned and began going over many kind of strategies that would work well with her moves and style. Before they knew it, the sky had gotten dark and the growling of their stomachs was the only thing that pulled them from their conversation.

Tazz laughed softly as she stood, "I didn't realize it got this late. Let's go get some dinner." Sabo smiled and stood with a nod, "I guess we really got into that talk." She nodded back and started walking to the door and down the hall with him right next to her.

They went to the cafeteria and ate their dinner, making small talk and joking a bit until they finished. Afterwords, they walked towards their rooms together before reaching them. They both said their goodnights and went into their own rooms before changing into pajamas and getting in bed for the night.


	4. First Mission

Tazz woke at the sound of her door creaking open. She opened her eye and looked at the window to see that it was most likely the middle of the night before she looked at her door to see Sabo's shadowed form shutting the door. He silently crept closer and carefully lifted the covers before slipping under them.

She let out a tired hum and put her arm over his side after he turned to face her, "Something wrong?" He stiffened before relaxing and she could feel the apologetic smile he sent her way, "Sorry if I woke you... I... I had a nightmare..." She hummed again and scooted closer as she began rubbing his back, "It's alright."

He sighed softly and put his arm around her, pulling her against his chest, "Just being near you is really calming..." She smiled and closed her eye, "I could say the same to you." He pressed a feather-light kiss to the top of her head before burying his face in her hair.

They soon fell back to a sound sleep throughout the rest of the night. When the light of morning hit her eye, she groaned softly and buried her face in Sabo's chest as she gripped the back of his t-shirt. The blond remained asleep and Tazz was starting to drift off when her door opened.

She heard soft footsteps creep closer and a familiar giggle made it clear that the intruder was Koala. She sensed the brunette lean over her and Sabo as she spoke softly to herself, "Aw, they're so cute that I don't wanna wake them. I guess I can let them sleep for a bit longer." Koala then turned and left the room, quietly shutting the door behind her and Tazz slipped off once more.

About an hour later, she is roused back to consciousness as the arms around her tighten momentarily, signalling that Sabo was waking up as well. She slowly opened her eye at the same time he did and they stared at each other for a moment. She smiled at him and he blushed lightly before returning the smile with a sweet one of his own.

He somewhat reluctantly released her before sitting up and stretching with a yawn. She sat up as well and ruffled her hair, "What're we gonna be doing today?" He hummed softly before getting out of bed, "We can start implementing the strategies we discussed last night into your fighting."

She nodded and got up after him, stretching her arm over her head, "Alrighty." Sabo quickly left her room to go to his to change into his usual outfit as well as get some clothes for Tazz to wear. When he returned, he set the clothes on the bed, "We should go to town later and get you some clothes and other things you might need."

She nodded and unfolded the clothes he brought her, "That'd be a good idea. By the way, I might need your help getting dressed again..." They both blushed and he turned around, "A-Alright..." She quickly stripped off her pajamas before putting the pants on and getting the shirt over her chest, "I need your help now..."

He took a deep breath before turning, keeping his eyes on her face as he tugged her shirt down before grabbing her belt from the floor and putting it on her. She watched his hands as they slid her bet through the belt loops before buckling it, "Sorry... This is probably annoying." He paused and looked at her, brows furrowed in concern, "You don't have to apologize. I don't find it annoying at all."

She stayed silent and he frowned before hugging her, "We'll get you a prosthetic arm soon. Please don't think that you're a burden." She blinked before hugging him back, "Sorry..." He hugged her tighter before releasing her and helping her get her boots on, "Don't apologize. I don't mind helping you at all. Especially since we've known each other since we were little."

When he straightened up, they stared at each other for a moment before she smiled softly. He returned the smile and went to the door before opening it for her and gestured out to the hall. She chuckled softly and exited her room with him right behind.

They made their way to the cafeteria for breakfast and sat at their table with Koala and Hack. Koala stifled her giggles with a hand over her mouth before giving them a sly smile, "Did you sleep well?" Sabo smiled and nodded, "Yeah. It was the best sleep I've had in a while."

She smiled wider and leaned on the table, "You sure looked comfortable." Sabo and Tazz took a moment to process what she said before they both blushed brightly and looked down at the table. Koala giggled and waved her hand, "Don't be embarrassed! You two looked really cute."

Tazz started stuffing her food in her mouth to try to distract herself from her embarrassment before Koala spoke up again, "Oh, yeah. Dragon-san wants to see the both of you in his office after breakfast." The two blinked and looked up at her before looking at each other and nodding.

They returned to eating, though they were going a bit faster, and soon finished their food before they stood. They waved to Koala and Hack before heading out to Dragon's office. When they got there, Sabo knocked before entering when allowed with Tazz behind him, "Dragon-san, you wanted to see us?"

Dragon looked up from his desk before nodding and leaning back in his chair, "Yes. I have a mission for you two." Sabo frowned a bit, "Sir, are you sure it would be alright for Tazz to go?" He nodded and stood, putting his hands behind his back before walking over, "Yes. I know without a doubt that she can take care of herself and even if something were to happen, you'd be right there with her."

The blond nodded slowly, "Alright then. What's the mission?" Dragon turned and went back to his chair, "I want you two to go to Oba Island to take down a corrupt Navy commander." Tazz put her hand on her chin as she thought before groaning softly, "Isn't Oba Island a winter island? I hate the cold..."

Dragon smirked at her complaint, "It's also well-known for having the best artificial limbs in the Grand Line." She blinked before grinning, "Alright!" Sabo smiled down at her before looking back to Dragon, "When do you want us to go?"

Dragon folded his hands on his desk, "You may leave once you get Tazz some necessities." Sabo nodded and gave a small bow before turning and heading to the door with Tazz in tow. They left the office and began heading out of the compound towards the town.

The first store they went to was a clothing store and Sabo stayed by Tazz to help her hold the clothes she picked. After getting a good amount of clothes, they went to the checkout and Sabo grabbed the bags before Tazz could take them, making her pout. He smiled and held the bags in one hand, "It'd be rude of me to make a lady carry heavy bags."

She rolled her eye and smiled, nudging his arm as they left the store, "You're such a gentleman." He blushed lightly and rubbed the back of his neck as they continued on. The next store they went to was just a small shop that sold a wide variety of items.

Tazz bought a black eye-patch as well as a black duffel bag. When they left, Sabo snatched the eye-patch from her before putting it on her, adjusting it a bit so that it sat comfortable over her right eye. Afterwards, they went back to the compound to put her purchases up before packing their bags for the mission.

After getting her new bag packed, Tazz stepped out of her room at the same time as Sabo and he smiled before leading her off the compound to the docks. When they got there, he pointed at a ship with a wolf figurehead, "That's the one we'll be taking." She smiled and nodded before trotting over to the gangplank.

She bounced in place as she waited for him to get closer and he chuckled, "Excited?" She grinned and nodded, "Yeah! It's my first mission as a revolutionary and I'm closer to getting another arm." He ruffled her hair as they went up the gangplank, "Just make sure you stay focused when needed."

She nodded and they stepped onto the deck and went inside to choose their rooms which ended up being next to each other. They settled in as the ship departed and Tazz laid on her bed with her hand behind her head as she stared at the ceiling. A knock to her door made her look over, "Come in."

Sabo entered and smiled at her before shutting the door behind him and walking in, "I just thought I'd let you know that we should arrive after noon." She smiled back and nodded as she sat up, "Alright. Thanks." He nodded and went back to the door, lingering with his hand on the knob for a moment before leaving her room.

She watched him go before laying back down and turning onto her right side, now facing the wall that the bed was pushed against. She soon got lost in her thoughts before her eye drooped shut and she fell asleep. A hand shaking her shoulder roused her from her sleep and she blinked before rubbing her eye and turning her head to see whoever woke her.

Sabo smiled apologetically and removed his hand from her shoulder, "Sorry about waking you up. We arrived at Oba Island. We can get a couple of heavy duty coats in the nearest village." She nodded and sat up, stretching a bit before getting off the bed, "Alright. Let's try to get them quickly because I can't stand the cold."

He chuckled and nodded before heading to the door with her right behind. When they got to the deck, they both shivered and hugged themselves before hurrying off the ship and to the closest village. Once they had gotten thick winter coats, a dark blue one for Sabo and a black one for Tazz, they also bought some scarves and a pair of gloves for Tazz.

Tazz slipped the left glove in her pocket before adjusting her orange scarf while Sabo fixed his baby blue one securely around his neck as his cheeks and nose flushed from the cold. She pulled her scarf up and over her nose as she glowered, "Let's go see if we can find a prostheses shop." He nodded in agreement and they began walking rather quickly through the village.

Tazz's frowned deepened the longer they walked and she was about to give up on finding a shop in this village when Sabo grabbed her arm and pointed across the street, "There's one!" He practically dragged her over to it before entering, the both of them letting out relieved sighs from the warmth inside the store. An older man that was about a foot shorter than Tazz popped his head out of a back room, "Yes? Can I help you two?"

She tugged her scarf down and smiled a bit, "Yes, actually. I'm in need of an artificial left arm. Do you have any made of durable and non-magnetic metals?" The shopkeeper nodded and smiled, "Of course! Wait right here." He turned and went back into the room he came out of.

Sabo looked to Tazz with a raised eyebrow, "Why specifically non-magnetic?" She smiled and rubbed the back of her neck, "Well, my leg is made out of titanium and I want the arm to match. Also in case I bump in to Eustass Kid some day. I like to mess with him and I wouldn't want him to catch me with his devil fruit ability." He hummed and crossed his arms, "That's pretty clever."

The shopkeeper soon returned with a complete arm and held it out to her, "Here you are, miss! One titanium arm!" She smiled and took the arm before handing it to Sabo and getting out her money pouch, "Thank you. How much will it be?"

Sabo slipped the arm under one of his as he looked at the shopkeeper, "By the way, do you know anything about the commander of the naval base here?" At the mention of the commander, the shopkeeper's face soured, "I know that he's a corrupted bastard. No one on this island likes him. Not even his own subordinates." Tazz's eye lit up as she thought of something, "What if we took care of him for you?"

Sabo looked at her with wide eyes before slapping a hand over her mouth while shushing her. The shopkeeper blinked at her before clasping his hands together with a hopeful face, "You'd really do that?" Sabo watched the older man before releasing Tazz and sighing, "Yes well, we're from the Revolutionary Army and we're here on a mission to get rid of him..."

The shopkeeper grinned and took a notepad and pencil from one of his pockets before he began writing something, "I'll give you that arm for free! Take this note to the hospital and give it to one of the surgeons. It should get you the surgery for free." He tore the note from the notepad and handed it to Tazz, "Thank you kindly, strangers. You'll be doing this whole island a favor." She put the note in her pocket and smiled at the man, "It's what we do, sir. Thank you very much for this."

Sabo and Tazz exited the shop as she pulled her scarf back over her nose. He put his hands in the pockets of his coat and looked at her, "Do you want to get the arm implanted now?" She nodded and looked around for the hospital, "Yeah. Did my old man give us a time limit?"

Sabo looked ahead, "No. He rarely needs to since we usually get our missions done quickly." He pointed down the road to a large building, "I think that might be the hospital." She grinned and grabbed his hand before jogging over, wanting to get her new arm on as soon as possible as well as wanting to get out of the cold.

They entered and relaxed as the warmth washed over them before they walked over to the receptionist. Tazz dug the shopkeeper's note from her pocket before holding it out, "The owner of the prostheses shop told us to give this to someone." The receptionist took the note, reading it before her eyes widened and she stood from her chair, "Wait one moment, please."

The woman rushed down a hall, soon disappearing before returning with a doctor. The receptionist smiled and held a hand towards where she came from, "Just follow us with the arm and we'll take you to surgery immediately." Tazz hesitated for a moment, starting to feel a bit nervous about the impending operation.

Sabo put a hand on her shoulder and handed her the arm with a reassuring smile, "Relax. I'm sure they know what they're doing. I'll be right here when you come out." She smiled back and nodded before following the doctor down the hall. Sabo went to the waiting room and took a seat as his leg started to bounce a bit from his nerves getting to him despite having just comforted Tazz.

He eventually zoned out and the hours flew by as evening came before the sound of someone approaching the waiting room got his attention. He looked up to the doorway as the doctor from before appeared with a smile, "You were with the woman needing a prosthetic earlier, correct?" Sabo nodded as he stood, "Yes. How is she?"

He led the blond out of the room and down a hall, "The operation ended a few minutes ago. She should be waking up soon." Sabo let out a relieved sigh, "Oh, thank goodness." The doctor put his hands behind his back as he looked ahead, "She's been through a lot, hasn't she? She was covered in scars..."

Sabo nodded and looked at the ground as they walked, "Yeah. We were recently reunited after eleven years of her thinking I was dead..." The doctor let out a hum, "That must've been quite the shock for her." Sabo nodded again and rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah. She threw me when I told her."

The doctor chuckled before stopped and holding a door open, "Here's her room. I can tell that she heals quickly, so I already cleared her to leave once she wakes up." Sabo smiled thankfully, "Thank you, doctor." The older man waved a hand before ushering the younger inside, "Don't worry about it!"

Sabo watched the doctor close the door before walking farther in towards the bed. He stood next to the bed and looked at Tazz, smiling softly when he saw her begin to wake up. She opened her eye and rubbed it before looking over at her companion, "Is everything taken care of?"

He nodded and held a hand out, "Yeah. You've already been cleared to leave." She smiled and took his hand before standing and looking at her new arm. She watched it move to her will before she grinned and looked to Sabo, "Let's go kick some Navy ass."


	5. Mission Complete

Sabo returned Tazz's grin and nodded as they bumped fists, "Let's go!" They quickly left the hospital after Tazz put her thick coat and scarf on as well as both gloves. She pulled her scarf over her nose and looked to Sabo, "So, where is the Navy base on this island?"

Sabo let out a frosty breath and nodded his head to the north, "It's on the center of the island surrounded by the Nobles' district." Tazz grimaced under her scarf, "Great. Let's hope we don't run in to any of those pompous assholes." Sabo chuckled and nodded and put a hand on her shoulder, "Yeah. Let's try to get it done quickly."

She nodded and they set off to the north, determines looked on their faces. After a minute of walking, Tazz looked over at Sabo to see his cheeks and nose red from the cold and she smiled under her scarf, "You know, you look adorable when your face is all red." He almost slipped on some snow since he was caught off guard by her comment and he gave her a mock glare as his cheeks puffed out in a pout, "Wh-What?! You don't just call a twenty-two-year-old man adorable!"

She laughed and pinched his cheek, "You're just proving my point!" He blushed brighter and pinched her cheek back, "Sh-Shut up!" She laughed again before releasing his cheek and roughly patting his back, "You're too easy to tease, Sabo!"

He pouted and looked back ahead as he grumbled. Within ten more minutes, they saw the large Navy base come in to view and the jovial air around them was replaced with a serious mood. Sabo furrowed his brows, "There it is."

Tazz nodded and they quickly ducked behind a building as a small troop of marines passed by. Sabo handed her a miniature transponder snail, "Here. In case we get separated." He peeked around the corner, watching for a moment before gesturing to move forward and the two sprinted out and ran towards the base, making sure to avoid the gaze of any soldier looking around.

They quickly made it to the base and slipped through the outer defenses. Tazz pressed her back to a wall next to Sabo, "So, do we gotta be quiet or can we go all out?" Sabo peered around the corner, "We weren't exactly given the order to be sneaky about it, but it'd be best so that we don't get any-"

He turned his head to look at Tazz only to cut himself off when she was no longer in sight, "... Problems..." He let out a sigh and looked back around the corner to see her standing over three unconscious soldiers, holding one by the collar of his uniform as she shook him, "Come on! At least put up more of a fight! I want a challenge after being unable to fight for so long!" Sabo let out another sigh and walked out from around the corner, putting a hand on her shoulder, "Calm down. You shouldn't expect the grunts to be able to match our strength."

She opened her hands and let the soldier drop to the ground as her cheeks puffed in a pout as she looked over at him, "I can't help it. I'm just itching for a fight." He smiled and raised his hands before pressing her cheeks, making the air escape, "I'm sure you'll get one soon. If you want, I'll let you take down the commander." She grinned and hugged him tightly, making his eyes widen, "Really?! You're the best, Sabo!"

He blushed a bit more before smiling and patting her head, "Yes, yes. You can tell me how awesome I am when we get back to Vartigo." She grinned childishly, the expression once more reminding the blond just how much she tended to resemble her brother. She released him and stepped backwards, "Come on then! Let's go!"

He watched her sprint into another hall before heaving yet another exasperated sigh. He smiled and went after her. When he rounded the corner, he halted when he saw Tazz running towards him with her mouth in a firm line and her eye wide as a group of shouting marines chased after her.

He reeled back before running in the opposite direction as she caught up, "What the hell did you do?!" She panted lightly as she kept running, "I bumped in to one of them on accident! I slipped on a wet floor..." If they weren't being chased, Sabo would have laughed at her statement.

He realized something and took a look over his shoulder, "They haven't sounded the alarm..." Tazz grinned and looked at him, "Maybe they're just stupid." She skidded to a stop before turning and running towards the marines, making them stop and run away from her as she began barking at them with a crazed grin.

Sabo sweat-dropped as he stopped to watch the spectacle before shaking his head and headed off on his own to find the commander of the base. Crashing and several masculine screams met his ears and made him wince, only able to imagine what his companion was doing. Tazz panted lightly as she stood on top of a pile of the marines that she had just been chasing and she scowled, "Too weak, dammit!"

Thundering footsteps stopped a few yards behind her, "Then why don't you try me on for size?" She turned her head to see an abnormally large man with a black bull-horned mask and two big axes in each hand. She grinned as she spun to face him before jumping off of the soldiers under her, "Hell yeah! After I kick your ass, I'm taking your mask."

The man crossed his axes in front of him, "Fine by me!" After a tense moment, they launched at each other. Tazz changed into her fighting form in midair and her hands became coated in armament haki.

She grabbed the blades of the axes as they rushed towards her before she broke them with just the tensing of her fingers. The man took a shocked step back and stared at her from behind his mask, "H-How?!" She gave him a wicked grin and jumped up, ripping his mask away from his face before grabbing his head, "I've taken on guys bigger than you. Hell, I even survived the Paramount War even though I was in the fray."

He grabbed her wrist as she began to squeeze his head, the pain making him fall to his knees, "W-Who are you?!" She leaned closer to his face with her grin still present on her face, "Monkey D. Tazz." Right after speaking, she slammed him into a wall, knocking him out.

She stood back and wiped her forehead with an arm as she let out a breath, "Whew! I almost worked up a sweat." She reverted back to normal and shook her head to get the ash from her horns out of her hair before looking at the mask in her hand and grinned, "I'll be taking this now~!" She put the mask on before looking down at the pocket of her coat as the transponder snail began ringing.

She fished it out before holding it up as she answered, "Sabo?" The snail smiled and took on Sabo's wide eyes, indicating that it was actually the blond on the other end, "Tazz. Do you still want a challenge? I've located the commander." Tazz grinned and jumped up and down excitedly, "Hell yeah, I do! Where is the bastard?!"

Sabo chuckled through the snail, "He's in his office in the west wing on the third floor. I took out all the guards in front so just follow the trail of marines if you have a heard time finding me." She grinned behind her newly acquired mask before hanging up the call, "Alright!"

She put the snail back in her pocket before taking off to the west wing of the building and sprinting up the stairs four steps at a time. It seemed to be just a few moments when she skidded to a halt next to Sabo as he stood outside the commander's office. He jumped a bit at how suddenly she appeared and the rather intimidating mask she was now wearing, "Where'd you get that?!"

She lifted it to the top of her head so she could smile at him, "I nicked it off a guy who thought he had a chance." Sabo let out a sigh before smiling, "You're something else, you know that?" She grinned wider and stood in front of the door as she lowered the mask back down, "Shishishi! So I've been told! By the way, I'm gonna try to use a move I thought of on the way up here."

She shrugged off her winter gear before handing them to Sabo and she took a breath and kicked the door clear off its hinges, making the commander inside jump up with a small scream at the sudden action. He stared at the door in shock as it smashed into the far wall before turning his gaze to Tazz as she entered the room with what appeared to be smoke coming from her hands and arms. She stopped in the middle of the room with an intimidating air surrounding her as she raised her hands.

The commander gawked at her before pointing at her with a scowl, "Who the hell are you?! How did you get in here?!" She got in a fighting stance as black flames covered her arms, "I'm the end to your corrupt tyranny." Sabo watched from the doorway and his eyes widened when he saw the flames move down her arms to her hands before bursting into a vague pole shape.

She covered her hands and forearms in haki before sending it into her flames, making them solidify into an intricate halberd. She spun the halberd several times before pointing it at the commander, "Prepare yourself for your punishment." He flinched before fainting, unable to handle the overwhelming fear.

Tazz blinked at him before gaping and stomping her foot, "HAH?! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO PUT UP A FIGHT! YOU'RE A NAVY COMMANDER FOR FUCK'S SAKE!" Sabo sweat-dropped and put a hand on her shoulder, "I guess you scared him too much..." She scowled and let her halberd dissipate before crossing her arms, "Dammit... Someone as weak as him must've gotten as high up as he did by pulling some strings. There's no way he got his position by his own power."

Sabo hummed and put his hands on his hips, "Well, I wouldn't be surprised." Tazz blinked before chuckling, "It reminds me of someone I met a good while back when Luffy got his first crew member. There was a guy who was a spoiled brat and was only revered because his father was the commanding officer of the island. He straightened out after being put under Gramps." Sabo looked at her before nudging her with his shoulder, "At least we got this taken care of, right?"

She nodded and lifted her mask back to the top of her head before smiling darkly, "I'm gonna take this guy down a few pegs." She walked over to the unconscious commander and Sabo grimaced as she stripped the man down to his underwear before tying him up. She pulled a marker out of thin air before drawing something unmentionable on his face before writing on his chest, 'I am a namby-pamby pansy who gets scared at everything and I deserve anything that happens to me.'

Sabo sweat-dropped and sighed for the umpteenth time that day, "You're evil..." She smirked and stood back to admire her work, "I know~! With this, his subordinates can retaliate without fear of being punished since I'm sure they're fed up with his bullshit." Sabo smiled and nodded to the doorway as he handed her back her winter gear, "Here. Let's go."

She put her coat and scarf back on before following him out of the building. She pulled her scarf back over her nose and shivered when the frigid wind hit her, "Fuck... I forgot we were on a winter island. Let's hurry back to the ship so we can get warm." Sabo was about to respond when a man in fancy winter clothes bumped in to Tazz's arm.

The man whirled around to face her with an enraged face, "How dare you?! You better kneel down and apologize this instant!" She tilted her head to the side to give the noble a bored stare, "Yeah? Or what?" The noble's face grew red with anger as he pointed at her, "I'll call this base's commander!"

She smirked under her scarf and raised a brow, "Oh? We already took care of that wuss." She grabbed the noble by his scarf and yanked him closer, "I don't apologize to blithering half-wits that think they're so special. Now, if you want to stay unscathed, I suggest you lose the pompous attitude and run off like the pathetic dog you are." The second she released him, the noble took off running while screaming bloody murder.

Sabo watched her with wide eyes, "Wow..." She shrugged and they resumed walking, "I can't stand people like that. He's lucky I'm in a good mood." The blond looked back ahead and shivered a bit in slight fear of the woman next to him, "Remind me never to get on your bad side."

She chuckled and nudged him, "Don't worry! I'd never get that mad at you, Blondie!" He smiled and rubbed the back of his neck, "I'd hope not..." The walk back to the ship seemed to go by much faster than the trip to the base.

The ship soon came in to view and Sabo glanced over at her, "Hey, didn't you used to wear a black cowboy hat when we were kids? What happened to it?" She hummed as she thought back, "Yeah. I ended up losing it when I deserted the Navy." He blinked and stared at her, "You were in the Navy?"

She nodded and stuffed her hands in her pockets, "Yeah. The only reason being was so I could get stronger than when I had initially set out. I left when Luffy turned seventeen." When they made it to the ship, Tazz practically barreled through anyone in her way as she went inside the ship to her toasty room, leaving Sabo to trail after her while chuckling at her antics. When she got to her room, she pulled off her winter gear and set her mask on the desk across from her bed.

She walked over to her bed before falling face-first on to it with a small sigh. She closed her eye and let her body sink into the mattress. She was about to doze off when her door opened, "Tazz? You awake?"

She gave an affirmative groan, not feeling like properly responding. Sabo chuckled as he entered her room before sitting on her bed next to her, "Tired?" She shrugged and rolled onto her back with her eye still closed, "Somehow."

He watched her for a moment before laying back beside her, "We should get back to Vartigo around mid to late morning." A soft hum was her response and he took a moment to think of what to say next, "Say, Tazz? When we get back, would you want to go get some dinner with me? N-Not like a date or anything..." When he didn't get an answer, he looked over to Tazz to see that she had fallen asleep.

He let out a sigh before smiling softly and rolling to his side to face her before his eyes slipped shut as he drifted off.


	6. Promotion

Sabo woke to feel extra weight on his side and he looked over to see Tazz hugging him like a stuffed animal as early morning light came through the window. He smiled and yawned softly before sitting up with his companion still clinging to him. He chuckled and pulled one of his arms from her hold and tapped the top of her head, "Tazz. You should wake up now. I think we're getting closer to Vartigo."

She grumbled and hugged him tighter before her eye fluttered open. She looked up at him and just stared for a moment before releasing him and moving back to a respectable distance, "How much longer would you say until we arrive?" He shrugged a shoulder and leaned back on his hands, "A few hours."

She hummed and rolled onto her stomach as she put her chin on her folded arms, "When we get back, do you wanna spar?" He smiled and looked up at the ceiling, "Sure. Maybe we can see what rank you could be based on your full strength." She smiled and tilted her head to the side to look at him, "Sounds good."

She let out a breath and turned to her side before propping her head in her hand, "So, what can we do for the next few hours?" Sabo put his chin in a hand and hummed in thought, "Hmm... I'm not too sure..." She rubbed her cheek and closed her eye as she thought.

After a moment, she opened her eye with a grin, "We could spar." He looked over at her before nodding with a wide smile, "Alright." He stood and helped her up before they left her room and went out to the deck.

When they got there, Sabo put his hat and coat aside before rolling his sleeves up to his elbows and adjusting his gloves as he grinned at Tazz. She stretched her arms and rolled her shoulders while mirroring his grin as the others on the ship began to gather around. Sabo got in a fighting stance, "Try not to damage the ship."

She chuckled and mimicked him, "No promises." He rolled his eyes before he launched towards her with her doing the same. They pulled back their haki-coated fists before clashing them together.

The shock-wave that came from it knocked back several of the others before the two hopped away from each other. Tazz used Soru to dash around Sabo before he could realize and she jumped up before aiming a spinning kick to the back of his head. He quickly turned his head around before grabbing her lower leg and slamming her towards the ground.

She caught herself with her hands and yanked her leg from his hand before spinning on her hands and kicking at his jaw. He brought his hand up and blocked her heel, grimacing at the force behind the kick. She flipped onto her feet and started a flurry of punches towards his face and stomach.

He moved back a bit as he blocked the punches before he chopped at her neck. She brought her forearm up and blocked it before grabbing his wrist and pulling him towards her as she jabbed her elbow under his extended arm. He winced and knocked her arm away before pivoting on a foot and swinging his leg against her side.

The grins were gone from their faces at this point and were replaced by focused expressions. She grabbed his leg and his arm before using her brute strength to hurl him into the air. His eyes widened before he focused again and watched her jump up after him.

She spun forward and brought her heel down towards his head, which was blocked by his crossed forearms. He grabbed her leg and flipped her before yanking her to his knee, hitting her in the gut. She grunted before being flung down to the deck by the force of the impact.

He went down after her and they continued exchanging and blocking blows for a good two hours. By the time Vartigo came into view, they were puffing for breath and watching each other. Tazz wiped sweat from her chin before smiling.

Sabo smiled back and they clasped hands before sitting down and leaning against the other's back as they caught their breaths. Sabo leaned his head back against Tazz's as he looked up at the sky, "I think you'll get a pretty high rank. You gave me quite the challenge." She smiled and bent a leg to rest an arm on it, "I'd hope so."

They rested there for the last hour until the ship was docked. They stood and got their things before heading back to the compound, still worn out from their sparring. Sabo put a hand on her shoulder and smiled, "I'm gonna go talk to Dragon-san and give him the report of our mission. You go ahead and go relax and I'll meet you at the cafeteria for lunch."

She smiled back and nodded before they parted ways. She blinked when she heard a feminine voice call her name and turned to see Koala sprinting towards her at a high speed. Tazz took a step back and grimaced right before Koala tackled her in a hug, "Oof!"

Koala hugged her tightly and grinned, "Tazz! You got an arm! How did your mission go? Did you do good?" Tazz sweat-dropped and raised her hands, "Easy, Koala. Yeah, I got an arm, the mission went well, I barely got to kick any ass." Koala giggled and released the younger woman, "Sorry! I was just excited since it was your first mission."

Tazz chuckled and stood up, patting her pants off, "You have enough excitement for the both of us. I was just on my way to my room. Sabo went to report to my old man." Koala smiled and started walking next to Tazz, "Is that so? Isn't it about time you also got a rank?" Tazz nodded and looked ahead, "Yeah. Sabo said that I'd be tested and given one later."

Koala clapped her hands together, "That's great!" The younger woman smiled and nodded, "Yeah. I want to be as high up as Sabo. I used to want to be one of the Four Emperors or even a warlord, but I feel like I'd get the most satisfaction out of fucking with the Government as a revolutionary." Koala giggled and clasped her hands behind her back, "That's one way to put it."

Tazz chuckled and opened her door once they reached it, "I'll see you at lunch." Koala waved before trotting off down the hall, leaving Tazz to enter her room to unpack. Once she had everything put up, she grabbed some fresh clothes consisting of a black tank top and cargo shorts as well as some undergarments before heading into the bathroom connected to her room.

She drew a hot bath and stripped down before sinking into the water with a content sigh. She leaned her head back against the edge of the tub and closed her eye as a relaxed smile made its way to her lips. The silence in the bathroom was broken as she began humming that shifted to soft singing of her favorite shanty.

After soaking for a good while, she began scrubbing any grime from her body before washing her hair. When she finished, she laid back once more and examined where her artificial limbs met her body, the fingers of her right hand lightly tracing along the raised flesh around the metal of her shoulder and thigh as she got lost in thought. She eventually decided to get out of the now lukewarm water and quickly dried off.

She slipped her underwear and shorts on before grabbing the rest of her clothes and walking into her room with her towel draped over her shoulders, the ends covering her breasts. She tossed her clean clothes on her bed and looked out the window with her back facing the door as she took the towel and started drying her hair. The sound of her door being opened caught her attention as Sabo's voice came through, "Hey, Tazz! I finished reporting to Dragon-san and discussed something rather important with him. He wants to see you-"

His voice caught in his throat as he saw her naked back, his entire face burning bright red, "OH MY GOD! I'M SO SORRY!" She looked back at him over her shoulder and blinked before laughing at his shocked and embarrassed expression, "Hey, hey! What're you getting all shy for? We used to bathe together when we were kids, didn't we?" He quickly backed into the hall and shut the door behind him, "We aren't kids anymore! Of course it's different now..."

She chuckled and finished drying her hair before put on her bra and tank top. She went to the door and opened it to see Sabo facing away from her room with his hat most likely hiding his blush, "How so?" Her voice made him jump and he stiffened, still not looking at her, "I-It just is!"

She chuckled and poked his sides, making him flinch, before she wrapped an arm around him and started pulling him down the hall, "Onward to see my old man!" Sabo gave an exasperated sigh and kept his hat lowered enough to shadow his eyes, face still bright red as he let her lead him to Dragon. When they arrived, Tazz knocked on the door, "Dad?"

Dragon looked up at the door after hearing Tazz's voice from the other side and he set his paperwork aside before folding his hands on his desk, "Come in." Tazz entered with Sabo lagging behind a bit with his blush finally calming down, "Sabo said you wanted to see me." Dragon nodded and looked at her, "Yes. He told me of your sparring match on your way back here and we discussed possible placements for you within the Army. Since not just anyone can give Sabo a run for his money, I decided to give you the title of Chief of Combat, making you number three of the Army."

After a moment of silence, Tazz's eye widened and her jaw dropped, "WHAT?! Are you sure you want to give me such a high position when I haven't even been here very long? I'm sure there are people here that have been here longer and are more deserving of that position..." Dragon stood and walked over to her before putting a hand on her shoulder with a firm squeeze, "Tazz, I'm positive that you are fit for this position." She looked up at her father, searching for any sign that he was lying or had any other reason to put her so high up.

When she only found honesty in his face, she let out a shaky sigh before nodding, "Alright then... If you believe I can do it, I'll have to believe too." Dragon gave her a small smile and nodded back before releasing her shoulder, "Good. Now go get some lunch and some rest." She returned the smile and rolled her eye, "Yes, dad."

Sabo and Tazz left the office and she let out a breath, still in slight shock that she was promoted to such a high rank in such a short amount of time, "I can barely believe it... You don't think he did it just because I'm his daughter, do you?" Sabo smiled and shook his head, "Not at all. Dragon-san isn't the type to do things like that. We both believe that you are the perfect fit for the title." She ran a hand through her hair and smiled as they walked towards the cafeteria, "Wow..."

They got to the cafeteria and went to get some food, Tazz of course getting several plates before heading towards their usual table with a small skip in her step. Koala and Hack were already there and the woman arched a brow and grinned at Tazz's good mood, "What's got you so happy?" Tazz grinned back as she sat with Sabo taking his spot next to her, "I just got promoted~!"

Hack looked over at her, "Is that so? What position did you get?" Tazz continued to smile happily, "Chief of Combat!" Koala and Hack stared at her for a moment before their eyes widened, "WHAT?!" Sabo chuckled and patted Tazz's shoulder, "That was her reaction, too."

After getting over her shock, Koala's grin returned and she clapped her hands together, "That's great, Tazz-chan!" Hack nodded in agreement, "Congratulations." The fell into pleasant chatter as they ate their lunch.

When Tazz and Sabo finished, they gathered their dishes and put them with the other dirty dishes before leaving the cafeteria. Sabo smiled as he looked down a bit at Tazz, "You're really happy, aren't you?" She nodded and pumped a fist in the air, "Hell yeah, I am! I'm gonna wear my title with pride and make sure I live up to it."

He chuckled softly and nodded, patting her shoulder as he looked back ahead, "I don't doubt it." They reached their rooms and stood in front of their doors in an awkward silence as Tazz rubbed the back of her head, "So... Do you want to do something? I don't really feel like laying around all day." Sabo looked at her and tilted his head, "Didn't Dragon-san tell you to get some rest?"

She grinned impishly and crossed her arms, "He's my dad, so I gotta be a least a little bit rebellious against him." He chuckled and nodded, "Alright then. How about we go on a walk?" She smiled and nodded before they started down the hall.

After a bit of silence, Sabo looked over at Tazz with a small smile, "You know that now that you have a very significant position that you'll have to do some paperwork, right?" Her shoulders slumped and a gloomy aura surrounded her as she lowered her head, "Dammit... I hate paperwork..." He chuckled and patted her back, "Just stay on top of it and it won't be a problem. Just so you know, I'll be making sure you get it done."

She raised a fist and shook it side-to-side in a gesture of mock enthusiasm, "Oh, joy..." Sabo chuckled again and ruffled her hair, getting a half-hearted grumble of protest before she perked up at his next words, "It also means you'll get your own office." She smiled widely and they walked around for a while before returning to the hallway with their rooms.

Tazz put her hand on the doorknob and smiled back at Sabo before entering their own bedrooms. She let out a soft sigh with a smile as she walked over to the desk opposite of her bed. She saw the mask she stole along with a pen and some paper.

She stared at the paper for a moment before sitting down at the desk and picking up the pen, spinning it around it her fingers as she thought of what to write. She leaned back in the chair and balanced it on the back legs, teetering a bit as she hummed in thought. She decided to write some music for the violin and she quickly got lost in her own world.


	7. The New Recruit

A knock brought Tazz back to reality and she saw that she had written two and a half pages of music. She leaned back and stretched her arms over her head as she glanced at the window, seeing that she last rays of the sun are barely peeking out over the horizon. Another knock came and she stood up from the desk, "Coming."

She walked over to the door and rubbed a crick out of her neck as she opened it, blinking when she saw Sabo lightly rubbing the scar over his left eye with an uneasy smile. She blinked and quickly realized that it seemed to be something he did when he was nervous and she gently took his hand, snapping him out of a little daze, "Something wrong Sabo?" He relaxed a bit with a light blush on his cheeks before he shook his head, "Not at all. Come with me for a moment."

He lightly grasped her hand and led her down the hall towards the cafeteria. When they got to the door, he gave her a grin and slowly opened the door. After they entered, a multitude of voices met her ears, making her eye widen at the joyous faces gathered in the cafeteria along with the streamers and decorations, "CONGRATULATIONS, CHIEF OF COMBAT!"

She blinked before her mind registered what was going on and a big grin appeared on her face along with a light blush. Sabo smiled down at her and gently pushed her forward, "Go on and socialize. This is a party for you after all." She turned and hugged him tightly before trotting off to get to know some of the other revolutionaries.

After a while of chatting and joking around, a finger tapped her shoulder, prompting her to turn around to see Sabo with his hands behind his back. She smiled widely, "Hey, Blondie!" He rolled his eyes before revealing what was behind his back: a black cowboy-style hat with orange goggles similar to his placed on it. The strings of the hat came together at an orange medallion with her jolly roger on it and orange tassels hanging down.

Her eye widened and she carefully took the hat, turning it over in her hands as she looked at it, "You... You got this for me?" Sabo nodded and sheepishly scratched his cheek with a finger, "Y-Yeah... It took me a while to find one that would fit you." She put the hat on before hugging him, making him tense before returning the hug, "Thank you! I'll treasure it as much as Luffy treasures his hat!"

He chuckled and hugged her a bit tighter before releasing her, "I'm glad you like it that much. Do you want some cake?" She grinned and nodded quickly. He laughed and led her over to the table with the cake on it before cutting them both a piece each.

She took her plate with a smile and took a bite, humming happily at the taste, "This is great!" He smiled and watched her eat her cake, getting some frosting on the corner of her lips in the process. Without thinking, Sabo gently took her chin between his thumb and index finger and turned her head to him as he leaned down, swiping his tongue over the frosting to clean it off.

Once they both realized what he had just done, their faces turned beet red and they scrambled away from each other while stuttering wildly. They both tilted their hats down to hide their blushed as they turned away from each other. In the distance, Koala had watched with keen eyes as a plan began to form in her head and she grinned devilishly, making anyone near her instantly wary.

After calming down a bit, Tazz turned around only to frown when Sabo was no longer there. Her shoulders slumped a bit as she began eating another slice of cake. After finishing, she decided that she needed some fresh air so she quietly left the cafeteria to walk outside.

She took a deep breath of the crisp night air as she found a pleasant spot on a cliff. She sat down on the plush grass and watched the moonlight shimmer on the dark water of the sea with a peaceful smile. She let her legs dangle over the edge of the cliff as she relaxed.

Another person soon joined her and she didn't bother looking over to know who it was, "It's a nice view, isn't it?" She nodded and brought a knee up to put an arm over it and rest her chin against it, "That it is, Sabo. That it is." Sabo rubbed the back of his neck before his fingers began tracing his scar, "Sorry about earlier... I wasn't thinking..."

She chuckled softly, "It's alright. You seem to not think a lot when I'm around." She looked over as he gave an awkward chuckle and she gently took his hand away from his face, "Do you do that when you get nervous?" He blinked at her before slightly tilting his head, "Do what?"

She smiled softly, still holding his hand, "Touch your scar." He hummed softly, turning his gaze back to the water, "I guess. I never realized I even did it." She watched him for a moment before letting go of his hand and putting hers on his left cheek, turning his head to look at her once more as she leaned up.

He blushed brightly but relaxed when she pressed her lips to his left eyelid and over his scar. When she pulled back, he covered his mouth with a hand and looked at the water, "Y-You didn't have to do that..." She smiled and leaned against him, "But I wanted to."

He sighed with a smile and leaned against her as they fell into a comfortable silence. After a while, Sabo stood and patted off his pants before holding a gloved hand to her, "Come on. Let's get back inside." She smiled and grabbed his hand, letting him pull her up before she dusted off her rump.

They went back inside before making their way to their rooms. When they got there, they blinked as Koala popped out of nowhere with a grin, "Where were you two?" Sabo rubbed the back of his neck with a small smile, "We were just sitting and relaxing..."

She got a mischievous glint in her eyes as she clasped her hands behind her back and leaned forward, "Is that all?" The two nodded, confused as to why she would think they did anything else. She hummed and swayed on her feet, "You sure you didn't kiss or anything?"

Their faces went red and they quickly shook their heads as they waved their hands in front of them, stammering to deny her words. She snickered with a hand in front of her mouth before waving at them, "You two are just adorable! I'll leave you be for now. Goodnight~!" With that, she left them alone as they still blushed brightly.

Sabo huffed and folded his arms, "That woman..." Tazz laughed softly and rubbed the back of her neck, "She's something alright." Sabo awkwardly cleared his throat in his fist as he looked off to the side, "Well, uh... Goodnight."

She smiled and gave a small wave, "Night." They entered their rooms and she rubbed her face to try to rid it of the blush as she took her hat off and put it on her desk. She kicked off her boots before shrugging off her clothes and putting on her pajamas, turning the lights off before crawling into bed.

She quickly fell asleep with a smile on her face. A few hours later, she woke up when her door was opened and then quietly shut. She automatically knew who is was and she scooted over to make room for Sabo as he got in her bed.

She found his hand and lightly squeezed it, "Nightmare?" She could faintly feel the blush on his face, "U-Uh, no... I just wanted... to sleep next to you..." She smiled and gave a soft hum, "Alright."

He watched as she drifted off to sleep again before he smiled softly and followed after. In the late morning, she woke to find that Sabo was gone. She sat up with a small frown before getting up and getting dressed for the day. She put on a black, form-fitting, sleeveless shirt with cream fur around the shoulders and her camo cargo pants. After putting on her boots and black gloves, she grabbed her hat from her desk and put it on before opening the door to see Koala with her fist raised like she was about to knock.

After blinking at each other for a moment, Koala grinned, "Good morning! I came to take you to your new office since Sabo's a bit busy at the moment." Tazz hummed and shut her door behind her as she went into the hall, "What's he doing?" Koala started walking down the hall with her hands clasped behind her back, "He's showing a new recruit around the compound. You'll probably get to meet her soon."

The ravenette let out another hum as they continued walking, eventually coming up to a rather ornate door much like the ones to Dragon and Sabo's offices. Koala held a hand towards it with a bright grin, "Here we are! Your new office!" Tazz's face mirrored hers as she opened the door to the large office.

Koala followed her in as she went to the center of the room. Tazz turned around, examining the space and noticing that it was just a bit smaller than Sabo's office but she still smiled, "It's very nice. I'll have to add my own touch to personalize it, but other than that, I love it." Koala laughed softly and patted her shoulder, "I'm glad you do! Sabo's office is actually just down the hall from here."

Tazz chuckled and walked over to the big desk, lightly dragging a hand over it, "It seems like we're gonna get stuck together quite often." The sound of a knock drew their attention to see Sabo standing with a big smile in the doorway, "Hey there. I take it you like the office?" She nodded and leaned against the desk as she crossed her arms, "Definitely."

Sabo looked as if he remembered something and he walked in, "Oh, right. I came by to introduce you to the new recruit. Come on in, Mia." A young woman with lilac-colored hair and blue eyes practically bounced into the room with a wide smile and Tazz was instantly on edge, her own smile dropped as she watched the newcomer. The recruit trotted up to Tazz next to Sabo and stuck her hand out, "Hi! I'm Mia!"

Tazz watched her with her piercing gaze as she hesitantly took the woman's hand, "Tazz. Nice to meet you." Mia giggled and latched on to Sabo's arm as she batted her eyelashes at him, making him blush brightly, "Hey, hey, Sabo-kun~! Where are we gonna go next?" Tazz frowned at her rather shrill voice and crossed her arms again, subconsciously narrowing her eye at Mia.

Mia caught her glare and held on to Sabo's arm tighter as she cowered, "Sabo-kun! She's glaring at me!" Sabo frowned at Tazz and pulled Mia away a bit, "Tazz! Don't go scaring the recruits." Tazz blinked before looking away as she spoke softly, "I didn't mean to..."

Sabo continued to frown before he turned to usher Mia from the room, "Come on. Let's return to your tour." Once they left and the door shut behind them, Tazz watched the door as Koala walked over, "Something wrong?" The ravenette sighed, "I don't know. I just have a bad feeling about that woman... She seemed really... fake."

Koala blinked and tilted her head, "You think so? I couldn't tell." Tazz nodded and stood before going around the desk and sitting in the chair, "Yeah. You can go ahead and go do your own thing. I'm just gonna stay here and get accustomed to this place." Koala watched her for a moment before leaving the room.

Tazz leaned back in her chair as she propped her feet up on her desk with her arms crossed. She stared up at the ceiling, thinking about the odd glint in Mia's eyes when she looked at Sabo. She scowled when she found that she didn't like it.

Her eye soon shut and her steady breathing was the only sound in the room as she drifted off into a dreamless nap. Her eye snapped open when she sensed someone outside her door and she silently stood, going over to the door before opening it to see Mia crouched in front of it. Tazz leaned on the doorway and stared down at the woman, "Can I help you?" 

Mia just blinked at her before jumping up with a smile, "Oh! I was just looking for the bathroom!" Tazz arched a brow and crossed her arms, "In my office? My door is quite different from the others in case you haven't noticed. And I'm sure Sabo would've shown you were the restrooms are." Mia began to look a bit uneasy as Tazz leaned closer with a narrowed eye, "The only reason you'd come back down this hall, let alone my door, is if you're sneaking around."

Mia burst out in tears and covered her face with her hands just as Sabo rounded the corner, "Sabo-kun!" The blond gasped and jogged over, wrapping his arms around the recruit with a glare to Tazz, "What are you doing?!" Tazz frowned at the uncharacteristic look on his face but returned to leaning against the doorway, "I didn't do jack shit. She was sneaking around even though you already showed her this area."

Mia buried her face in Sabo's cravat to hide a wide grin, "I was just looking for you, Sabo-kun!" Sabo's frown deepened and Tazz scoffed, "She told me that she was looking for the bathroom." The blond turned Mia away from the other woman, "Be nice to the recruits, Tazz." 

She scowled and straightened, "If she's gonna cry from that, she probably isn't fit for this place." He narrowed his eyes at her before turning and walking down the hall, "Come on, Mia. Let's get you away." Tazz glared at the woman as she looked back with a taunting grin.

Once they were out of sight, Tazz growled to herself before going into the hall and locking the door to her office, sticking the key in her pocket before heading down the opposite way of Sabo and Mia. On her way, she spotted Hack and bumped her fist to his shoulder, "Hey, Hack. Want to spar?"

The fishman thought for a moment before nodding, "Sure." They exited the building before walking to the sparring area. Tazz took off her hat and put it aside before taking off her right glove and wrapping her hand and forearm, "Sorry if it gets intense. I'm not in the best of moods right now."

Hack rubbed his chin as he watched her, "Does it have something to do with that new recruit?" Tazz slightly narrowed her eye at him as she tucked her glove in her pocket, "How'd you know?" He shrugged and got in a fighting stance, "When I met her, I saw her clinging to Sabo. With how close the two of you are, I assumed you wouldn't like that."

She stared at him for a moment before sighing. She huffed and mimicked his pose, "Well, you're right about that. I also don't like the look in her eyes." After a tense moment, they jumped towards each other as a few spectators gathered.


	8. Solo

Hack threw his fist at Tazz and she brought her left leg up to block it with her shin before wrapping her leg around his arm. She punched towards his chest and he blocked it with his free hand before she jumped up and kicked her other leg at his head. He used his forearm to block it before she released his arm and dropped in a crouch.

She kicked up at his chin and he grabbed her heel before kneeing her side. She grunted and spun on her hands before flipping to her feet and using Soru to get around him. She kicked at his head before immediately spinning and kicking his side, knocking him away a good several meters.

She landed and panted lightly as she watched him sit up. She frowned and jogged over, holding out a hand to help him up, "Sorry about that... Maybe it isn't the best idea to spar when I've got something on my mind..." Hack took her hand as he rubbed his head, "It's alright. I think we should call it good for now."

She nodded in agreement before going over to her hat. She stooped down to pick it up when two pairs of shoes came into her line of sight, making her look up to see Mia still clinging to Sabo's arm as he gave her a worried look, "Is something wrong?" She let out a silent sigh as she grabbed her hat, dusting it off before placing it on her head, "Not at all."

Her gaze briefly went to Mia, making her hug Sabo's arm tighter, "She's scary! Come on, Sabo-kun! Let's go somewhere else." Sabo nodded before leaving after giving Tazz one more look. Tazz scowled at their backs before heading to her room, retrieving some paper and her pen before going to her office.

She entered after unlocking it and shut the door behind her before walking to her desk. She sat down in the chair with a huff and set the paper on the desk before she began writing more music. After writing a few sheets, she came to a wall and sighed, putting her cheek on her propped up fist as she rubbed her temple with her other hand.

She put her head in her hands before smoothing her hair back, pushing her hat off her head to hang around her neck, before letting the fringe fall back into place as she locked her fingers together at the back of her neck. She leaned back and sighed again, mind going back to the new girl. Her eye narrowed as she glared at the ceiling, trying to figure out why Mia felt off.

Shaking her head, she stood and walked to the door. She left her office after locking the door and headed to her father's office, wanting to see if he had anything to keep her busy. She knocked on his door before entering, "Hey, pop? Do you have any missions I could do?"

Dragon looked at her and leaned back, "Possibly. Any reason why?" She walked over to his desk and leaned back on it with her arms crossed, "Just wanna keep busy for a while..." He sighed and tapped his fingers against the armrests of his chair, "Very well. You can go to the nearby Beans Island to run off a group of marines that have been causing trouble to the civilians."

She nodded and stood up, "Alright. I'll come right back when I'm done." She left the office with a wave before heading to the entrance of the building, passing by Koala as she walked. Koala smiled at her and tilted her head, "Where you going, Tazz-chan?"

She ran a hand through her hair, "I'm going on a small mission to rid an island of some marines that are being troublesome. I should be back today or tomorrow." Koala waved her off as she headed to the docks. She picked a small boat before setting sail westward.

Back at Headquarters, Sabo was searching for Tazz after finally having shaken off Mia. He wouldn't admit it, but the woman's clinging was starting to get on his nerves despite how patient he usually was. He knocked on her door before waiting for an answer.

After a couple of minutes, he knocked again. When he still didn't get a response, he opened the door and peered inside, blinking when he didn't see her. He frowned a bit and started heading to her office.

He soon saw Koala and he trotted over to her, "Hey, Koala? Have you seen Tazz?" She nodded and pointed her thumb in the direction of the docks, "Yeah. She went on a short mission. She should be back later today or tomorrow. Why?" He rubbed the back of his neck, "Well, I wanted to see what was up with her today since she was acting strangely unfriendly with Mia. As far as I remember, she's usually been nicer towards strangers."

Koala hummed before shrugging and putting a hand on his shoulder, "Well, you can talk to her about it when she gets back." Sabo nodded and watched her walk off before frowning a bit at the ground. He stiffened a bit when he heard Mia's voice calling for him nearby.

Tazz sighed softly as the island came into sight after a couple of hours of sailing. She figured it was around lunch time when she arrived, so she kept her boat in a hidden bay before heading to the town of the small, bean-shaped island. She entered the town and glanced around, ignoring the stares that her rather odd and intimidating appearance garnered.

She spotted an elderly couple and walked over, inwardly frowning at how they flinched away from her. When she stood in front of them, she gave a small respectful bow, "Pardon me. I heard that there is a group of unruly marines hanging out on this island and I was wondering if you would be so kind as to tell me their whereabouts." They obviously were surprised by her politeness and they relaxed as the old man pointed down the street, "Those youngsters usually cause a ruckus over there at that tavern. I wouldn't mess with them if I were you, missy. I don't think they'd be above hurting a pretty face like yours."

She smiled softly and bowed again, "Thank you for the concern, mister, but I believe I can handle it just fine. Thank you for the help." She walked off towards the tavern, her sharp hearing catching the woman saying something about her pleasant manners. She chuckled softly to herself and tipped her hat so it shadowed part of her face before entering the tavern.

The shouting and laughter had ceased once she stepped through the doors as all eyes went to her. She had a lazy smirk on her face as she walked further in towards the bar, deciding to get some lunch as well as a drink. Her hidden eye spotted the group of seven marines staring at her with smug smirks.

She was glad that they didn't recognize her yet, figuring they haven't seen her wanted poster. She sat at the bar and folded her arms over the counter, "Can I get some food and a drink please? I'll take several plates of whatever you feel like cooking and a tankard of sake." The barkeep nodded and quickly got her the drink before going to the back.

He eventually came back with a few plates of fried rice and put them in front of her. She took the spoon and nodded, "Thank you." Once she began eating, the usual sounds of a tavern returned since the customers had satisfied their curiosity of her.

She continued eating, needing only one refill of her drink by the time she got to the last plate. She swallowed the last bite just as an arm was slung over her shoulders and a glance from the corner of her eye made it clear that it was one of the marines as the others gathered around. He leaned against her and smirked darkly, "What's a pretty thing like you doing in a place like this?"

She hummed and took a sip of her sake before responding, "Just filling up before I get back to my task." He chuckled and rubbed her shoulder, "Oh? And what would your task be?" She smirked to herself, hiding it behind the rim of her tankard, "I'm supposed to get rid of some rather...unpleasant marines." The room fell silent once mor as they stared at her as she finished off her drink and put enough money on the bar, "The hell are you on about?"

She chuckled and stood, brushing his arm from her shoulders, "Exactly what it sounds like. I'm gonna kick your asses off this island." The marines quickly brandished their weapons and pointed them at her as she turned around. She tipped her hat back to reveal her face that still had a smirk before she held her hands up, "How about we take this outside? I'd hate to ruin a nice establishment such as this one."

She suddenly vanished before reappearing at the swinging doors, putting a hand one of them before pushing it open, "Come along, then." The whole room let out a shocked shout, no one having seen her move. The marines quickly went outside after her and faced her.

After a moment, she raised a hand and gestured for them to come at her. The nearest one raised his sword and ran towards her. Before the blade could hit her, she simply raised a leg and kicked the sword from his hands before spinning and using her other leg to kick him in the head.

He flew back passed the others and smashed into a wall. They stared at their unconscious comrade in shock before looking at her as she rolled her shoulders. She let out a breath as she got into a fighting stance, "Six more."

Three of them ran at her with swords and she flipped onto her hands, spinning and kicking them. The last three had guns and they started firing at her. She moved side-to-side, easily being able to tell where the bullets where heading with her observation haki.

She vanished from their sight and they looked around, fear evident on their faces. One of them paused when boots landed on his shoulders, making him look up to see her grinning down at him. She spun and dropped down, clamping her knees around his head and using her momentum to flip him as she landed on her hands before she smashed him to the ground.

The other two spun around and fired just as she vanished again. She grabbed one by the arm and brought her elbow down on his forearm, snapping the bones before she punched him and threw him at the final one. She slowly walked over to the last one to stay conscious and she squatted down, leveling a piercing glare at him, "Now, you take your little buddies and hop right off this island. If I catch wind of you guys being troublesome, I won't hesitate to find you and take you down again. Do I make myself clear?"

He nodded and scrambled to get up, trying to wake his friends up to get them away. She watched them run off to the docks before she patted her gloves off. She was about to turn to start walking to where she kept her boat when the couple from before walked up with thankful smiles, "Thank you very much, young lady. You really helped us out by getting rid of them."

She smiled back and shook her head, "No need to thank me. I can't stand guys like that anyway." The old woman took one of Tazz's hands and placed an beautiful tiger's-eye hairpin in it, "Please, take this as a sign of our gratitude." Tazz shifted awkwardly and tried to give it back, but the older woman refused with a smile, "I was just doing my job..."

The man looked at her curiously, "What is your job, if you don't mind me asking?" Tazz grinned and finally accepted the hairpin and pocketed it, "I'm a revolutionary." She gave a quick bow before turning and running off to her boat to sail off.

When she got back to Vartigo, she went straight to Dragon to report. She knocked on the door of his office before entering, "Hey, dad. I just got back from Beans Island." She shut the door behind her and walked further in as she took the hairpin from her pocket, "After I chased those marines out, an old lady gave this to me."

Dragon smiled a bit and folded his hands over his desk, "You must've made a good impression on them." She shrugged and pulled her choppy hair up the best she could before using the hairpin to keep it in place, leaving her fringe down to frame her face, "I guess. Well, I'm gonna go rest a bit. See ya." She left her father's office and walked down the hall with her hands in her pockets and her eye on the ground.

When she got near the hall with her room, she frowned as she looked up and saw Mia practically dragging Sabo. When Mia noticed Tazz, her eyes glinted before she suddenly tripped when she got closer. Tazz blinked at her as Sabo crouched down, "Mia! Are you okay?"

The woman began bawling and turned to hug Sabo, "She tripped me!" Sabo frowned and gave Tazz a stern look only to see that she had continued walking, "Tazz!" She didn't even look back as she reached her room, "Didn't do it."

Before Sabo could say anything else, she disappeared into her room with a harsh sigh. She took the pin out of her hair and set it on her desk before going over and flopping onto her bed. She stared at the ceiling before putting an arm over her eyes with a heavy sigh, "Looks like I'll have to be on my own for a while..."


	9. Dismissed

A knock on her door made her get up and go over. When she opened the door, she saw Sabo with his arms crossed and a stern look on his face as Mia peered at her with a smirk over his shoulder. Tazz crossed her arms as well and frowned, "What?" 

He furrowed his brows and nodded his head towards the woman behind him, "Apologize to Mia." Tazz immediately shut the door in his face and ignored his knocking, "Tazz!" She growled and unlatched her window, "I'm not apologizing for something I didn't do, Sabo."

She quickly slipped out the window after removing her gloves and changing her arms to their fighting form and latched to the outside wall. She grumbled to herself and made her way down as she heard her door open, figuring that Sabo busted in. She looked up to see his head poke out of her window before she jumped down the rest of the two stories down to the ground.

She changed her arms back to normal and put her gloves back on, walking off as she heard him shout her name. She walked towards the spot that she found the previous night and she sat down with a huff, "I can't believe he's taking that girl's side against me...." She brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them as she leaned her chin on them.

She stayed out there well into the night, estimating it to be midnight by the time she went back to her room. When she opened the door, she saw that the lights were out and that there was someone in her bed. The scent told her that it was Sabo and she frowned before going to her closet.

She quietly opened it and got an extra blanket from the top before leaving and going to her office. She slipped inside after unlocking it and sat down, draping the blanket over herself as she leaned back with her feet propped on the desk. She sighed and closed her eye before drifting off into a dreamless, but not restful, sleep.

The next morning, a hand on her shoulder woke up her and she furrowed her brows as she opened her eye. She blinked a few times to clear her vision to see that the one who woke her was Koala with a curious look on her face, "What're you doing sleeping in here?" Tazz groaned and rubbed her eye as she sat up, "Sabo was in my bed last night and I don't really feel like being near him at the moment."

Koala hummed before taking the blanket off of Tazz and folding it before draping it over the back of her chair, "Well, let's go get some breakfast. I didn't see you at dinner last night, so I'm sure you're hungry." As if giving its input, Tazz's stomach grumbled loudly, making the shorter woman giggle.

Tazz rubbed the back of her hair as she stood and Koala blinked up at her, "I never fully realized until now, but you're quite a bit taller than me, aren't ya? What's your height?" She hummed and looked down at her before noticing that fact as well, "I guess so. I'm 5'10." Koala giggled again and started heading to the door, "I'm only 5'3."

Tazz locked her office behind her before they went to the cafeteria. When they got there, they entered only for Tazz to freeze upon seeing Sabo already at the table with Mia in her spot next to him. She turned around to avoid seeing them laughing about something, "On second thought, I can eat later. I'm gonna go see if my dad has any paperwork for me yet."

Koala pouted before sighing softly and getting something to eat after watching Tazz leave. She walked over to the table and sat in her usual spot. Sabo looked over at her and blinked at the rather dejected look on her face before remembering something, "Have you seen Tazz? She didn't go to her room last night."

Koala poked at her food, "She came in here with me for breakfast but suddenly turned around saying something about checking if Dragon-san has paperwork for her. I found her sleeping in her office." Sabo frowned and looked at his plate, partially losing his appetite. Mia hugged his arm and leaned against him, "Hey, hey! Forget about that mean lady! Yesterday, you said you were gonna teach me some more stuff, right?"

He nodded slowly and absentmindedly rubbed his scar, something that didn't escape Koala's attention, "I guess I did. I'll teach you after breakfast." Koala clapped her hands together and smiled brightly, "Actually, I think I can take care of that! Why don't you go help Tazz figure out how to handle her paperwork?" Mia glared at the other woman before batting her eyelashes at Sabo, "I want Sabo-kun to teach me!"

Sabo realized that his friend was giving him a chance to talk to Tazz and he nodded, "I think that'd be a good idea. Besides, it might help learning from a fresh perspective." Mia pouted as she went back to eating. After finishing breakfast, Sabo quickly left the cafeteria and went to Tazz's office, knocking on the door.

Inside, Tazz glanced up at her door before returning to her paperwork, "Who is it and what do you want?" She froze when the door opened and Sabo's voice spoke up, "I want to talk." She sighed and leaned back in her chair, shooting a glare at him as he closed the door behind him, "What makes you think I want to?"

He frowned and walked up to her desk, "Why are you avoiding me and what's your problem with Mia?" She ignored his first question and crossed her arms, "Something's wrong about her. I don't know what, but she's up to something." He furrowed his brows, "Why do you think that?"

She turned her chair to the side and looked out the large window, "The first day she got here, she was sneaking around. She also has a bad look in her eyes." Sabo leaned his hands on the desk, "I think you're just jealous that she's getting close to me." Her eye twitched and she stood up, clenching her fists at her sides as she glared at him, "Or you're just blind and wouldn't know betrayal if it batted its lashes at you."

She started walking around her desk and towards the door until he caught her wrist, "I'm not done talking!" She glared at him as she yanked her arm from his grasp, "Well, I am." She left the office, slamming the door behind her and leaving Sabo to stare at it and sigh as he felt a rift widen between them.

She glared harshly at the ground, fists clenched tightly as she stomped out of the building and towards her now-favorite spot. Once she got there, she plopped down and crossed her arms over her knees, scowling out at the sea. Eventually, someone sat down beside her and she glanced over to see her father.

He was silent for a moment before looking at her, "I can tell that there's something going on between you and Sabo. Do you want to talk about it?" She huffed and turned her gaze back to the water, "It's that new girl. He thinks I'm jealous of her, but I know that something's up." He hummed and leaned back on his hands, "I trust your judgement, Tazz, but I can't just dismiss her without a reason."

She sighed and buried her face in her arms, "I know, but I don't really want to find out what she's up to..." Dragon put a hand on her shoulder and lightly squeezed before pulling her against his side, "I don't either, but we really have no choice for the time being." She relaxed against him and leaned her head on his shoulder, "I just wish he wouldn't put all of his blind trust in someone he's known for only two days rather than someone he's known almost his whole life."

He rubbed her shoulder and nodded, "That does seem to be an error on his part." After a moment, Dragon stood and helped Tazz up, "Well, I must return to my paperwork." She sighed and rubbed the back of her head, "Me too..."

They went their own ways, Dragon to his office while his daughter stopped by her room to retrieve her hat. After placing it on her head, she went back to her own office, pausing when she saw Sabo standing in front of her door. She brushed passed him and shut the door in his face before locking it from the inside, making him frown before walking off with a sigh.

She sat down and resumed her paperwork with a scowl on her face. After an hour, she finished and sat back just as a knock sounded from her door. She narrowed her eye at it and stood, "Who is it?"

When Koala's voice responded, she relaxed a bit as she walked over to the door, "Is Sabo out there?" When Koala denied, she unlocked the door and opened it to see the shorter woman with a basket of numerous sandwiches and a few drinks. She smiled and held the basket of goodies up, "I figured you be famished by now. I'll eat with you."

Tazz nodded and let her in before shutting the door behind her and walking to the desk. Koala sat in a chair in front of the desk as she set the basket on it. Tazz grabbed a sandwich and sat in her chair before taking a bite with Koala doing the same.

Tazz leaned back as she ate, her gaze becoming unfocused as she stared passed her friend. Koala noticed and tilted her head, "Are you concerned about the new girl?" Tazz scarfed down the rest of the sandwich before grabbing another, "Maybe. I feel like she's up to no good..."

Koala hummed and took another bite, "Well, if it makes you feel any better, you could keep an eye on her." Tazz nodded and ate half the sandwich in one bite as her hunger made itself known once more, "I plan on it..."

After eating all of the sandwiches, Koala left one of the drinks with her dark-haired friend before she left. Tazz opened it and took a sip as she leaned back and gazed out the window. Her eye caught sight of two figures near the sparring area that made her scowl as she watched the smaller one latch onto the taller one.

A deep growl left her throat as she watched before finishing her drink and heading out of her office. When she reached the courtyard, she tossed her hat to a safe distance and clashed her fists together as she walked towards them, "Sabo! You. Me. Spar. Now." Sabo blinked at her before furrowing his brows.

He took off his coat and put it aside with his top hat as Mia hugged him, "Show her her place, Sabo-kun!" He frowned at her words but didn't respond as he faced Tazz. They both got in fighting positions before launching at each other.

Tazz avoided his fist and grabbed his arm before punching his side without holding back, making him wince before kicking at her. She jumped up and kicked his leg aside before spinning and kicking at his chest, making him fly back a few meters.

He landed on his feet and skidded to a stop, gingerly putting a hand to where her kick landed as he looked at her. His eyes widened when he saw the barely hidden anger in her eye, the determined grin she had during previous sparring matches nowhere to be found on her face. He frowned before running at her and coating his fists in haki with her doing the same.

Static and a shock-wave rippled through the air as their fists connected. He quickly reached out to grab her shoulder, but she dodged to the side before grabbing his arm and his shirt before spinning on her heel. She slammed his back to the ground before panting heavily.

He decided to forgo his usual fancy fighting moves and just yanked her to the ground. They began rolling around, throwing punches much like children fighting as their anger towards each other took over. After duking it out for twenty minutes, they both laid sprawled on the ground, panting heavily with bruises and bleeding cuts on any exposed skin.

Sabo sat up first and Mia rushed over, kneeling behind him and rubbing his shoulders, "You sure showed her!" One of her hands left his shoulder and went behind her back. The next thing he knew, a dark blur whizzed passed him and tackled Mia to the ground.

He whirled around to see Tazz pressing a knee between Mia's shoulder blades and her right arm lifted up behind her. A low, inhuman growl left Tazz as she twisted the woman's arm, making her cry out. Sabo gasped and quickly came over before trying to pry Tazz off of the new girl, "What the hell are you doing?!"

Tazz pushed him back and nodded her head to a dagger that had skittered a few feet away, "If she wasn't just about to stab you, how do you explain that?" Sabo stared at the dagger before looking at Mia's pleading eyes, "It could've just fallen out when you tackled her!" Tazz scoffed and kept her grip, "Why would she need a weapon if she isn't even going on a mission yet?"

Sabo grabbed Tazz and tried to pull her off once more, "Don't be so paranoid! Get off of her!" Growling again, Tazz twisted Mia's arm until a nasty pop sounded from the shoulder and she screamed out. Sabo finally shoved the ravenette away before gathering the sobbing woman in his arms, "WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?!"

Tazz stood up and clenched her fists, "WHAT AM I THINKING?! WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?! YOU CAN'T EVEN SEE PASSED HER FACADE!" Sabo scowled at her, "THERE IS NO FACADE! IF YOU CAN'T TRUST YOUR COMRADES, THEN THE ARMY DOESN'T NEED SOMEONE LIKE YOU!" She glared at him before turning and heading inside the building, leaving Sabo to hold Mia as an audience gathered.

Sabo was unaware of the wicked grin that the woman in his arms had as he watched Tazz storm off, not even bothering to pick her hat off the ground. She went straight to her room and got her duffel bag before she began packing everything that could fit inside. After zipping the bag up, she left her room, almost bumping into Koala in the process.

The smaller woman stepped back to avoid getting trampled as she looked at Tazz with a worried expression, "Where are you going?" Tazz couldn't keep eye contact for very long before she averted her gaze, "Away until the Chief of Staff can pull his head out of his ass and think straight." She left Koala there as she made her way to the docks, not wanting to stick around for very long.


	10. Traitor Revealed

Meanwhile, Sabo had taken Mia to the infirmary to get her shoulder put back in place. Sabo heard someone stand in the doorway and looked over to see Dragon. He blinked before going out into the hall with the man, "Dragon-san..."

Dragon glanced at the doorway before looking at Sabo, "What happened?" Sabo sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, "Tazz and I were sparring and then she suddenly attacked Mia and dislocated her shoulder..." Dragon stayed silent for a moment, "Do you know why she may have done it?"

The blond looked down at his feet, "Well, Tazz pointed out a dagger, but I believe it was a coincidence." Dragon watched the younger man in front of him, "And where's my daughter?" Sabo flinched before his shoulders slumped, "I...dismissed her. I told her that the Army doesn't need someone who can't trust their teammates...."

Dragon sighed and rubbed his chin, "Sabo, I believed you were closer to Tazz than that. Do you really think she would do something like this without a reason?" Sabo thought for a moment before shaking his head, "Well...no..." The older man put his hand on the blond's shoulder, "I'm sure you know what you need to do now."

Sabo nodded and watched Dragon walk off. He sighed and looked at the ground as he leaned against the wall, rubbing at his scar with a frown. Hands on his arm made him look over to see Mia once more clinging to him with a smile, "Something wrong, Sabo-kun?"

He watched her for a second before rubbing the back of his neck, "I need to go find Tazz..." Mia pouted and squeezed his arm, "But why? Didn't you kick her out?" He sighed once more and nodded, "Well, yeah but I need to question her..."

He pushed away from the wall and started walking down the hall, "Let's go check town first." Mia pouted but remained pressed against Sabo's arm. When they got to town, Mia began pointing at many different shops and trying to distract the blond.

She gasped and pointed at a dark alley, "I think I saw a kitten!" She started trying to pull him towards the alley, but he stayed in his spot, "We're supposed to be looking for Tazz." She rolled her eyes and hugged his arm yet again, "Why do you still care about that bitch? She isn't even your friend anymore."

He frowned and pulled his arm from her, "Don't talk about her like that." She scoffed and pulled him into the alley, "Whatever. Let's see where that kitten went!" Once they got into the alley, she released his arm and walked forward a few feet before turning to face him with a dark smile, "You know, I'm glad you haven't found her. She was too perceptive for her own good. I probably should've killed her, but I didn't feel like wasting my time with her any more than necessary."

Sabo's eyes widened at her sudden change in demeanor and he took a step back, "What are you talking about?" She put a hand on her hip and flipped her hair, "Isn't it obvious at this point? I'm going to kill you." She snapped her fingers and both entrances to the alley were blocked by several men in dark clothes.

Sabo got in a fighting stance and frowned at her, "So you were faking this whole time?" She laughed and put her hand to her cheek as she supported her elbow with her other arm, "Of course I was! You would've found out sooner and could have ruined my plans if you had just listened to that one-eyed bitch." He glared at her before she snapped her fingers, signalling for her goons to attack him.

He took out several of them before his arms were grabbed and he was forced to kneel. Mia walked closer to him and one of the lackeys handed her a dagger. She pulled it back and he closed his eyes, not wanting to see what was about to happen.

The stab never came and a strangled gasp made him peek an eye open only to see Tazz's back facing him, that tip of the dagger poking out of the right side of her upper back. She had a hand wrapped around Mia's throat and lifted her from the ground as a low, menacing growl came from her chest. Mia's eyes widened and she grasped at Tazz's hand that was slowly gripping tighter.

Tazz ripped the dagger from her chest and threw it to the ground. Her tail slipped out from her pants and slapped against the ground as she changed into her fighting form. Her horns sprouted, but continued growing as several tines sprouted until they were deer-like antlers.

Black flames ignited from the base of her tail and went down before changing to orange as they engulfed the end of her tail. Orange flame markings took the place of her flame tattoos on her right forearm as fire licked her shoulders and orange kabuki-like markings covered her face. Mia's eyes widened when she saw the white of Tazz's eye turn pitch black as the pupil became a slit.

Tazz's ears elongated and became wolf-like as her arms bulked up a bit and black flames flickered around the wound on her chest. Sabo watched with wide eyes at her transformation before he whipped his head to the side as a goon ran forward with a knife. The goon swiped his blade at Tazz's side, but it merely passed through without harming her.

A snap was heard as Tazz crushed Mia's neck before tossing her aside and grabbing the goon that tried to cut her. She slammed him back and forth between the walls of the alley before throwing him and beginning a rampage. The remaining enemies were quickly wiped out and Tazz stood straight, panting heavily before turning her head to Sabo.

He bit his lip before lowering his head to the ground as his hat tumbled off when he pressed his forehead to the ground with tears filling his eyes, "I'm sorry, Tazz! I should've listened to you!" She watched him for a moment before walking passed him as she changed back to normal, "Get up. The Chief of Staff shouldn't be bowing to anyone other than the leader." He sat up and watched her before grabbing his hat and rushing after her.

They got back to HQ and Sabo finally noticed that she was still bleeding from the stab to her chest. He put a hand on her shoulder to stop her, "You're bleeding. We need to get you to the infirmary." She brushed his hand off and continued walking, "I'm fine."

He frowned as he watched her walk off, most likely going to her room. He sighed and went to the infirmary to get medical supplies before heading to her room. He knocked on her door before opening it, seeing that she was sitting on her bed just staring at the floor.

He frowned and shut the door behind him and set the supplies on her bed next to her before gently coaxing her to lift her arms so he could remove her shirt. Afterwards, he focused on tending to her wound so he wouldn't blush. She remained silent with her head down throughout the process, not even flinching at the pain.

After finishing stitching the wound on both front and back, he bandaged her chest and eased her arms into the sleeves of a gray button-up before he fastened the buttons. He laid her down and frowned at the distant look in her eye and he rubbed his scar. He noticed her fingers twitch, but no other movements.

He sighed again and turned to leave the room, still rubbing his scar. He went into the hall and saw Koala walking up with Tazz's hat in hand and a sad look on her face. Sabo rubbed the back of his neck, "She got injured while protecting me... I just finished patching her up so she should be rested by now."

Koala nodded and slipped into Tazz's room and set the hat on her desk before glancing at the ravenette. She frowned before leaving the room. A few minutes after the door shut, Tazz slipped into unconsciousness.

Hours later, a hand brushing her hair out of her face woke her. She slowly opened her eye to see Dragon looking down at her as he sat next to her on the edge of her bed. He smiled a bit when he saw that she was awake, "I hope you rested well. Sabo told me everything that happened."

She frowned at hearing the name and put a hand over her eye as her father continued speaking, "After digging a bit, we found that Mia is actually named Toki and is the leader of a small band of assassins called the Katz. Coincidentally, you completely wiped out the whole group on your rampage. Sabo also told me that your fighting form changed. I believe that you have awoken he true potential of your devil fruit." She moved her hand from her face and looked at him, "There's more than one level to devil fruits?" He nodded and folded his hands in his lap, "Yes. There's only two, and the second is known as 'Awakened'. It appears that your awakened form alters your appearance and gives you logia-type abilities."

Tazz hummed and sat up before lightly rubbing her wound, "Interesting..." Dragon looked at her before glancing at her door and standing, "I believe someone wishes to speak with you." She watched him walk to the door before slipping out of the room.

A moment later, Sabo entered and took off his hat, nervously fidgeting with it in his hands as he walked closer to her bed, "I-I'm sorry about not believing you. I should've put more faith in you..." She crossed her arms and sat against the wall, "Yeah, you should have." He frowned and looked at the ground as he rubbed his scar, making her eye twitch before she stood.

He kept his gaze on the ground as she walked closer until she stood in front of him. With gentleness he wasn't expecting, she took his hand away from his face and leaned up to press her lips to his eye. After he calmed down, she pulled away and released his hand, "I'm still pissed."

He let out a breath and nodded, returning his gaze to the floor, "Understandable..." He bit his lip and wrapped his arms around her, making her stiffen before slowly returning the hug. She sighed and hid her face in his cravat, "You make it hard to stay mad..."

He smiled a bit before releasing her, "I guess I should be glad for that. Let's go get some dinner." He ushered her out of the room and led her to the cafeteria. After getting their food and sitting, Koala leaped over the table to hug Tazz, "I'm so glad your okay!"

Tazz blinked and patted her back, "Uh, thanks?" Koala released her before going back to her spot next to Hack, "I was sad when you left..." Tazz rubbed the back of her neck, "Well, I'm back now."

The group fell into an awkward silence as they ate. When they finished, Koala took Sabo and Tazz's plates before they could grab them, "I'll take care of these. You two should go relax." Tazz nodded and stood before leaving the cafeteria with Sabo trailing behind her.

They continued walking until they were outside and they went to where Tazz's favorite spot and sat down. They sat in silence as they watched the sun dip below the horizon, the last rays illuminating the water. After a few minutes, Sabo hesitantly put a hand on top of Tazz's before squeezing lightly, "I'm really sorry about not believing you..."

She took a moment before speaking, "I guess I can forgive you... You've learned your lesson about not trusting me, right?" He nodded and laced his fingers with hers, "Definitely." She leaned against him and rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eye.

Eventually, Sabo looked over at her to see that she had fallen asleep. He smiled a bit before picking her up and heading inside. He went to her room and eased her door open before going inside to set her on her bed.

He gently brushed some of her hair out of her face before straightening and heading to the door. He paused with his hand on the doorknob when she spoke, "Sabo...stay in here tonight..." He looked back at her to see her rubbing her eye as she sat up.

He nodded and went to his room to change into pajamas before returning to see that she had also changed into a tank top and sleeping shorts. He frowned when he saw the bandages over her chest and right shoulder before turning the lights off and going to the bed. He held the covers up for her before slipping in after.

They stayed to their sides of the bed before Tazz sighed and cuddled up to him. Once the awkwardness passed, they quickly fell into a dreamless sleep for the night.


	11. Setting Out

The next morning, Sabo woke up to find that he was alone in the room and he sat up while rubbing one of his eyes. He frowned a bit and got out of bed, peeking into the empty bathroom for a moment, before sighing and going across the hall to his room so he could get changed for the day. After getting dressed, he went down to the cafeteria for breakfast and saw that Tazz was already there with Koala and Hack.

He got himself some food before walking over, catching part of what Tazz was saying, "Sorry about the other day, Hack. I shouldn't have let my anger get the best of me." He held a hand up to dismiss her apology, "Don't worry about it. You're only human, after all, so it's natural to express your emotions." Her lips quirked and she leaned on an elbow over the table, "You know, that sounds rather odd coming from a fishman."

The three laughed until Sabo sat down next to Tazz and an awkward silence fell over the group. Tazz kept her attention on her food as she ate while Koala and Hack shared a glance. Sabo's shoulders slumped at the tension still between him and the woman next to him and he frowned while poking at his food.

Koala cleared her throat and tilted her head, "Why the awkwardness? Didn't you guys make up?" Tazz looked up at the smaller female with a narrowed eye, "How would you know?" Koala rubbed the back of her head with an innocent grin, "I may or may not have spied on the two of you last night..."

Tazz deadpanned at her before sighing and returning to her food, "We did, but it'll probably take a bit for us to completely get over it..." Sabo nodded in agreement as he ate, still not yet saying a word. They all finished eating and Tazz cleaned up before heading out of the cafeteria to go to her room.

An hour later, a knock on her door made her get up from her desk and walk over to open it to see Koala holding Tazz's duffel bag in her hands. The smaller woman held it out with a smile, "Here. This was found in one of the ships." She took her bag with a nod, "Thanks, Koala."

Koala turned before pausing and looking back at her friend with a grin, "Though, I wouldn't unpack yet if I were you. By the way, Dragon-san wants to see you in his office." Tazz tilted her head with a quizzical look as the other woman skipped away. She let out a soft sigh and sat her bag down by the door before exiting her room, closing the door behind her before she started heading towards her father's office to see what he wanted.

When she got there, she knocked on the door before entering, blinking in slight surprise when she saw Sabo standing there with a sheepish expression as he stared at the floor. She walked farther into the office and stood in front of Dragon's desk a good few feet away from the blond as she looked at her dad, "So, what'd you need?" Dragon folded his hands over his desk and looked between the two with an analytic gaze, "I can sense the tension between you two. To alleviate it, you two will be going on a mission and work together."

Tazz suppressed a groan and ran a hand through her hair, "Guess I can't refuse when it's not like you're asking me... What's the mission?" Dragon unfolded his hand and slid a picture of a man who appeared to be a Marine captain as well as a couple of stacks of papers, "This mission will be similar to your first one, though this one will require infiltration. I already have forged documents for your 'transfers' to the base that this man commands. He is much more cunning than the one you two took out, so you must be cautious." Tazz picked up the stack in front of her and saw that her alias was 'Kurokami Raize' and she nodded her head in approval at the name, "Good name."

She leaned over a bit to peek at Sabo's papers to see what his alias was going to be and she snickered a bit when she saw it, "Salize Jean, huh?" The blond blushed lightly and quickly snatched his papers up so she couldn't see any more. She looked back at her father and jerked her thumb at Sabo, "I've got one question: how are we gonna keep me from being recognized? He's much easier to disguise, but he also doesn't have artificial limbs and tattoos."

Dragon laced his fingers together and rested his chin on them, "That has already been taken in to account. In your documents, you are noted to have been in a horrible accident six years ago that had taken your arm and leg. A fire badly burned your right forearm, so you keep it covered in bandages to hide the scars. Your other visible tattoos are smaller and can simply be covered in make-up along with the scar on your face." She gave an impressed whistle and nodded as she looked back to the papers in her hand, flipping through them until she landed on one with her fabricated backstory, "Gotcha."

Dragon waved a hand to dismiss them so they could get on with their mission. Tazz walked through the door first with Sabo trailing behind and they began walking towards their rooms. When they got there, Tazz quietly slipped inside hers and grabbed her duffel bag and hat before standing in the hall to wait for Sabo.

He quickly packed a bag and met her in the hall before they headed out of the compound and went to the docks in silence, both of them unsure of what to talk about. They boarded their selected ship and set out for the two-day trip to the Marine base they would be infiltrating. They spent most of the day avoiding each other, more like Tazz avoiding Sabo, until evening came around.

After dinner, a small group of lower-ranks huddled together on the deck as Tazz leaned on the railing off to the side, staring out at the dark waters. The group murmured among themselves before coming to an agreement of something and one called out to her, "Tazz-san! Would you like to play poker with us?" She looked back at them before nodding and pushing away from the railing and walking over, "Sure. What're the stakes?"

Two of the men scooted over to give her a place to sit and she plopped down as the one to her left answered, "The loser gets cooking duty for the remainder of the journey." The man on her right grinned and waved his hand towards something out of view, "Sabo-san! Come play strip poker with us!" She blinked before giving them all a light glare, "You should've mentioned it was gonna be strip poker before I sat down..."

They just gave her playful grins as Sabo walked over with his hands on his hips, opening his mouth to say something before he paused when he saw Tazz sitting with them. She caught his surprised look and shrugged, "They forgot to mention just what kind of poker it was going to be when they invited me. Well, I'm not one to back down so I'm game." The blond seemed to be mulling it over before sighing softly and sitting down as the dealer began shuffling the cards.

Several rounds in, the man on her left who she now knew as Tobias was stripped of his shirt and shoes while the man on her right, named Larro, was down to his underwear. The one on Sabo's right, Carlon, had his shirt off and shoes while the dealer to his left named Rolo, Sabo, and Tazz were still fully dressed. After the next round of cards was dealt, Tazz looked at her great hand with a blank look before she glanced at Sabo to see his eyebrow twitch.

Everyone then presented their cards and Rolo cursed as he lost before taking his shirt off. That left Sabo and Tazz being the only ones unscathed. A few more rounds, and the pair were relieved of their hats and Sabo his coat while Carlon had to remove his pants.

Nearing the end of the game, all but Tazz and Sabo were practically nude and she grumbled under her breath as she pulled her shirt over her head since she just lost the round. They all stared at the bandages covering her upper chest and right shoulder, conveniently her breasts as well, and Tobias pointed at them, "Are you okay?" She glanced at her bandages before shrugging her shoulder and looking at her hand, "It's nothing. It'll be completely healed in a day."

Rolo rubbed his chin as he looked over the scars littering her abdomen, "Man, you've been through some shit..." She snorted and ran a gloved hand through her hair, "You can say that again." Sabo frowned a bit to himself as he stared at her bandages before returning his attention to his cards and inwardly cursing as he saw the terrible hand.

Larro threw his cards down and quickly put his clothes back on, "Alright! I'll take cooking duty!" The others stood and redressed as well while Tazz put her shirt and hat back on before getting up and patting off her pants, "Eh, I'll take it. I don't mind cooking for everybody." Sabo put his coat and hat on as he stood before looking at her with an uneasy expression, "Are you sure about that? You used to suck at cooking when we were kids..."

She crossed her arms and gave him a halfhearted glare, "I've gotten way better since then!" The others cheered and slapped Tazz on the back, excited to have her cook for them. She chuckled softly and waved her hand, "Alright, alright. I'm heading to bed."

She turned and headed to her sleeping quarters for the night, rubbing the back of her neck as she walked. She entered her room and let out a soft sigh before taking her clothes off and putting pajama bottoms on. She was about to put her tank top on when she paused and touched the bandages covering her chest before removing them to check the stitches on her front.

She squatted down next to her duffel bag and rummaged around before finding her first-aid kit and standing and going over to her bed. She opened the kit and got out the scalpel before removing the stitches from both her front and back, having more difficulty with the latter. She put the scalpel back in the kit and closed it before putting it away and grabbing her tank top.

She slipped it on before getting in bed with another soft sigh as she tried to find a comfortable position. It took her a while, but she eventually fell into a dreamless sleep, sometimes tossing and turning throughout the night.

The next morning, she woke up fairly early before getting dressed in her usual outfit and heading down to the galley. She seemed to be the only one up at the moment and she shrugged before tying her hair back in a small ponytail at the base of her neck and tying an orange bandanna around her head and then got out everything she'd need for a big breakfast. She decided to make omelettes and hash-browns and quickly got to work on cooking, unaware of the blond spectator watching from the doorway of the kitchen.

When she finished, she set all the food out and wiped her forehead with a wrist as she put her other hand on her hip, glad that she wasn't cooking for a full sized crew, "Done. Now to tell everyone that it's ready." She turned to the door and blinked when she saw Sabo smiling sheepishly with everyone else standing behind him while drooling. She arched a brow before gesturing to the food, "Dig in."

Sabo had to jump out of the way to avoid being trampled as they all stormed into the galley and got their food while chatting among themselves. After waiting for the rush to calm down, Tazz got several plates for herself with Sabo doing the same before she went over to an empty table and sat down, the blond hesitating for a moment before following after her. He sat across from her and they began eating in silence, the only sound between the two of them being the clack of silverware against the dishes.

After a few minutes, Tazz paused with her fork near her mouth and she glanced at Sabo before looking back at her fork, "So... What rank were you given for your disguise?" He looked up at her before turning back to his food, "Sergeant. You?" She hummed to herself and put her fork in her mouth, "The same..."

She slumped forward a bit with a small groan, "I'm not looking forward to being ordered around. Especially by some shady fucker..." Sabo snorted at her bluntness and quickly covered his mouth to fight back laughter, amused by her attitude. He cleared his throat and lowered his hand to give her a reassuring smile, "Well, let's hope this mission doesn't take too long."

She nodded in agreement and they finished their meal in silence before putting their dishes in the sink before heading to the exit of the galley. Tazz paused and looked back to the eating crew, "Larro. You're on dish duty." She smirked a bit at the man's reluctant groan before she left the room with Sabo walking next to her and he glanced over, "We should get there early in the morning at the same time as a ship full of trainees, so we'll get the chance to sneak in among them."

She nodded and lifted her hat to run her hand through her hair with a sigh, "Now I just gotta find something to do to pass the time..." He smiled and put a hand on her shoulder, "I'm sure you'll find something." He blushed lightly and looked ahead as he moved his hand from her shoulder to the back of his neck, "By the way, the food was delicious. I was kinda worried we'd get food poisoning..."

She pouted at him and quickly swung her leg up to kick him in the ass, making him yelp before rubbing his rump, "I told you I can actually cook!" He sweat-dropped and smiled, happy that the tension between them was lessening, "Yes, yes." They walked in a more comfortable silence until Tazz reached the door to her room.

She looked back at Sabo with a small wave, "See you later." He nodded and watched her disappear into her room before he walked down the hall to his own room. After pacing around the room from boredom, she eventually found something to do until lunch rolled around.

She left her room and went to the kitchen to get started on the food and whipped up something simple yet filling. Just like that morning, she turned to see everyone hovering in the doorway and she chuckled, "Go on." They entered and grabbed some food before going off to their preferred eating spots while she got some food for herself.

She glanced around and didn't see Sabo anywhere in the room and she got some extra food before going and looking for the blond. She found him sitting up at the top of the main mast of the ship and she grumbled before shouting up, "SABO! Get your ass down here and eat!" He seemed to have been snapped from his thoughts and almost lost balance before looking down at her with a pout.

He jumped down and took his plates from her before sitting with her, the both of them leaning against the mast as they ate in a peaceful silence. They took their time eating since they weren't in any kind of a rush. Once they finished, Sabo took their dishes and smiled at her as he stood, "I'll put these up."

She smiled stood before they went their own ways, Sabo to the kitchen and Tazz to her room to distract herself.


	12. Infiltration

After poking around her room, Tazz found a book and plopped back on her bed as she opened it, only slightly interested in it from the summary. She crossed her ankles and began reading bored expression still on her face until she became immersed in the story. Before she knew it, the sun had started to set and a knock got her attention from the book.

She snapped it shut and set it aside before standing and going over to the door, opening it to see Sabo with a small smile, "Hey. Would you like some help in preparing dinner?" She smiled a bit and nodded, "Sure." She exited her room and they started walking to the kitchen, discussing what they thought should be cooked for dinner before settling on a pasta dish.

When they arrived at the kitchen, Tazz tied her hair back before putting her bandanna on after letting her hat hang around her neck while Sabo took his hat off and set it aside along with his coat. He rolled his sleeves up to his elbows and got out a few large pots as she got out the ingredients needed for the food. They made pleasant small talk as Tazz started cooking while Sabo chopped up anything that needed to be sliced before handing them off to her.

A delectable aroma soon filled the room and Sabo sniffed the air before grinning, "It smells great." She smiled widely and stirred the creamy seafood sauce before holding the spoon to his lips, "Just wait until you try it." He blinked and tasted the sauce before an ecstatic look appeared on his face, "That's delicious!"

She chuckled softly and took a taste of it as well before adding some spices, "Thanks. Luffy's chef taught me this recipe. It's one of my favorites to cook." He smiled and watched her finish cooking before going to the door to call the rest to dinner. Before the others rushed in, the two of them filled a couple of large bowls to the max with the pasta and sauce before going to their chosen table and began eating.

Sabo hummed in delight at the taste and began shoveling the pasta in his mouth and tried to speak at the same time, "Dis is sho good!" She laughed softly and propped her head in her hand, "Slow down, Blondie. The food's not going anywhere." He blushed lightly and sheepishly stared at his food as he slowed his pace, "S-Sorry. It's just really delicious..."

She smiled and used her thumb to wipe a bit of sauce from his cheek, "I'm glad you like it. You know, for being such a refined guy, you're a hell of a messy eater." His blush darkened as she licked the sauce from her thumb before they both returned to eating. When they finished, Rolo came over with a happy grin and took their bowls, "I'll clean up here since you've been making such delicious food for us. Go and rest up for your mission."

She smiled gratefully and the two got up and left the galley. Sabo walked her to her room and rubbed the back of his head, "I hope you sleep well. We'll need to get up pretty early to be able to sneak into the troop of trainees." She nodded and pulled her bandanna off her head, "You too. See you in the morning."

She went inside her room and put her hat aside before changing into pajamas and getting in bed. She wasn't exactly tired yet, but decided to let her thoughts wander until she fell asleep. In the morning, Sabo woke up before the sun even began to rise and he changed into a Marine uniform as well as the standard cap that he had packed and grabbed an extra one for Tazz.

He left his room and walked down to Tazz's quarters before knocking lightly on the door. When he didn't get any response, he cracked the door open and peeked inside to see Tazz still asleep. He let himself in and shut the door behind him before walking over to her bed and shaking her shoulder, "Tazz. It's time to wake up."

She grumbled and slapped his hand away before turning over to face away from him, making him sigh with a small smile. He leaned down and blew in her ear. It only took a second before she shot up and scrambled away with a hand clamped over her ear and a bright blush on her face, "W-W-Why'd you-?!"

He laughed and held out the spare uniform for her to take, "Here. We docked thirty minutes ago and we need to hurry to make sure we can get to the trainees in time." She huffed and snatched the uniform from his hands before pointing at her door, "Out." He chuckled and went to the door before glancing back, "If you need any help covering up your tattoos and whatnot, I'll be out here."

He left and she sighed softly, letting her shoulders slump as her blush calmed down, "While he's still easy to fluster, he's a lot bolder than he used to be..." She got out of bed and changed into the uniform, pinning her messy hair up with the hairpin she had gotten from the old lady before braiding the left side of her fringe. She took her eye-patch off and looked in the small mirror across from the bed, fingers tracing the scar going over her eye and down passed her lips.

She grabbed a small make-up kit from her duffel bag and started covering the scar with a concealer that was her skin-tone before moving on to the tattoos of her upper right arm. She then wrapped her forearm in bandages before calling to Sabo, "Hey. Can you come in here for a sec?" He poked his head in with a smile, "Yeah?"

She pointed towards the back of her neck, "I need you to cover up a tattoo on the nape of my neck since I can't see it." He nodded and entered the room before walking over and taking her concealer from her. He ran his fingers over the crowned D on the nape of her neck before covering it in the make-up, "You sure have a lot of tattoos. When I, uh, walked in on you the other day, I noticed that you had a couple on your back."

She smiled to herself and nodded, "Yeah. I also have one on both of my thighs. I actually want some more." He smiled and handed her back her concealer, "It fits your image pretty well." She nodded again and put her eye-patch back on before tying her bandanna around her neck, "Yeah."

She turned to face him and lightly touched his scar, "We should get this covered up." He nodded in agreement and closed his eyes as she got a paler concealer and started covering the mark. When she finished, she stared at his face for a moment before putting the make-up away and adjusting her cap, "Done. Let's head out."

He opened his eyes and watched her get out her forged documents before heading to the door. He followed behind as they left the room, "I'll have to get my papers before we leave." She nodded and stood outside his door as he went inside to retrieve his papers.

Afterwards, they left the ship and went to where the Marine trainees were docked. They sneaked aboard the ship from the unguarded side and merged with the troop before they filed down the gangplank. The trainees lined up with Tazz and Sabo at the end and they all saluted as the captain of the base arrived.

He scrutinized them as he walked down the line until stopped at the two disguised revolutionaries. The man narrowed his dark eyes and leaned closer to Tazz, "You. You aren't like the trainees. What's your rank and name?" To act like she was nervous, she swallowed thickly and leaned back a bit as she knitted her brows, "S-Sergeant Kurokami Raize, s-sir!"

The captain's gaze traveled to her right to look at Sabo, "And you?" Sabo straightened snapping his heels together, "Sergeant Salize Jean, sir!" The tall man looked between the two with an analytic gaze, "And why are two sergeants among the newbies?" Sabo kept his eyes straight ahead, "We were transferred here and took the ship that was already heading this way, sir!"

The captain rubbed his chin and looked up in thought, "That's right. I did receive word that I'd get two transfers this weeks." He waved a hand dismissively before putting it in his pocket as he turned away, "No matter. Lead the trainees to the base." Tazz put her heels together as they kept their salute as the captain walked off, "Sir, yes, sir!"

Sabo took the lead and signaled for them all to move forward with Tazz right behind him as they marched on to the base. When they arrived, the two 'sergeants' were assigned tasks to take care of around the compound. After being told to get the captain some coffee, Tazz grumbled under her breath as she quickly grew tired of having to keep up the timid facade.

She took a breath as she reached the door to the captain's office before knocking, "I have your coffee, sir." She went inside after being told to enter and saw the captain leaning back in his chair and leveling her with a dark look. Her hair stood on end and she swallowed, not at all liking the look in his eyes, before going around his desk to set the mug of coffee in front of him, "Here you are, sir."

As she was slightly bent over, she tensed when she felt a hand brush against her rear and she quickly straightened as she stepped away, "S-Sir!" A smirk came to his face and he stood up and walked around her, "Stay still." She looked back at him with a wide eye, "But sir-!"

He grabbed the lower part of her face with his palm over her mouth and pressed himself against her back as he leaned down a bit so his mouth was by her ear, "Are you going to disobey a direct order from your superior, Sergeant?" She clenched her fists and shook her head, trying to keep herself from lashing out and risk ruining the mission. He kept his hand over her mouth as his other one slide up her side before palming her breast through her uniform top and she began to tremble, now genuinely anxious, "Good."

He was interrupted by a knock on the door and he cursed under his breath before moving away from her and sitting back down, waving a hand in her direction, "You may leave. Do not speak a word of this." She nodded quickly before speed-walking to the door and opening to leave while letting the other person into the office. She jogged to the room that she was assigned to share with Sabo and entered, slamming the door behind her before leaning against it and sliding down to the floor.

Sabo jumped from the bang and looked over at her with his brows furrowed in concern, "Tazz?" He walked over and knelt next to her as she wrapped her arms around her legs and buried her face in her knees, still shaking from what just happened. He reached out to touch her shoulder, "Tazz? What's wrong?"

She flinched away from his touch before answering with a meek voice, "He... He touched me..." Sabo was confused for a moment before realizing what she meant and anger quickly filled him. He forced himself to calm down and sat down before pulling her into a comforting hug, "I'm so sorry... I promise this mission will be over soon..."

She sniffled and buried her face in his shoulder as she grasped the back of his uniform. He rocked her side-to-side and rubbed her back as he hugged her tightly. After she calmed down, he gently picked her up and carried her over to one of the beds before laying her down and taking her cap off to run his hand through her hair, "This will all be over soon and we'll be able to go back to Headquarters."

She nodded slowly as her eye slipped shut and she quickly fell asleep. He sighed and sat next to her and gently brushed his knuckles against her cheek as he frowned. He leaned down and his lips hovered over her forehead before lightly kissing it before he stood and went to his own bed, kicking his boots off as well as removing his cap before he laid down.

Sabo woke early the next morning and rubbed a hand over his face before getting out of bed and waking Tazz up. She grumbled and rubbed her eye as she curled up on her side before stretching out. She sat up and ruffled her hair before looking around for her cap.

When she found it, she put it on before standing and stretching her arms above her head with a small groan as Sabo put his boots and cap back on. He stood and started heading to the door with Tazz following behind quietly and went about their tasks for the day.

A good part of the week passed and they melded into the social structure of the base rather seamlessly and Tazz luckily had minimal interaction with the captain. Tazz was currently cleaning a window while Sabo swept the floor nearby when a lower-ranked soldier came up and saluted them, "Raize-san, the captain wants to see you in his office." She shared an uneasy glance with her companion before looking back at the soldier and nodding, "Alright."

The soldier walked away and Sabo stepped closer to Tazz, putting a hand on her shoulder, "Do you want me to come with you?" She took a breath and nodded with a small smile, "I'd appreciate it..." He returned the smile and they started walking to the captain's office.

Sabo stopped by the door and gently took Tazz's hand before squeezing it a bit, "Just shout if you need me." She nodded and squeezed his hand back before releasing it and stepping inside the office. Sabo sighed softly and leaned against the wall as he crossed his arms, lightly tapping the fingers of one hand against the other arm.

It was around ten minutes before Tazz exited the office looking frazzled with the collar of her uniform slightly askew. Sabo pushed away from the wall and looked her over, not seeing any obvious signs of injury, "What happened?" She glared at the floor and clenched her fists before running off down the hall, leaving the blond to stare with a worried expression before he followed after at a slower pace.

When he got to their room, he peeked inside and saw Tazz sitting in the far corner with her knees to her chest and her back facing the room. He frowned and walked inside, shutting the door behind him, before going over to kneel behind her. He put a hand on her right shoulder, frowning more when she flinched, and was about to ask her what happened when he cut himself off.

He caught sight of something just under the collar of her shirt and furrowed his brows before pulled her collar further away to expose what looked to be a bite mark. His eyes widened before they narrowed as anger and, dare he say, possessiveness flashed through him. He sat down and wrapped his arms around her before pulling her against him with his legs on either side of her and he gently tilted her head to the side and tugged her collar down as she let out a squeak.

He lightly pressed his lips to the mark before biting down on it as Tazz began to squirm in his arms, "S-Sabo! What're you-?!" She winced as he bit her and grabbed his wrists, her face flushing brightly at his brazen action. He growled softly against her skin and bite down a bit harder before releasing her shoulder and laving his tongue over the new mark to soothe the sting.

He wrapped his arms around her to hug her tightly as he buried his face in her shoulder, "I'm sorry... I don't know what came over me... I don't want anyone else marking you like that..." She bit her lower lip and stared at the floor, catching how he said 'else'. She relaxed against him and wiped a tear from her eye, "How much longer until we can finish the mission?"

He thought for a moment before lifting his head from her shoulder, "I think we can wrap it up now. All we really had to do was establish ourselves here before taking the captain down." He somewhat reluctantly let go of her before standing and helping her up, "You know what? I'll take care of this. You go ahead and go to the ship." She opened her mouth to protest, but he put a finger to her lips with a sweet smile, "It's fine."

She slowly nodded and gave him a hug before leaving the room and quickly vacating the base while Sabo cracked his knuckles as a dark look came over his face and he began heading to the captain's office.


	13. A Step Forward

Sabo made his way to the captain's office, making sure to avoid getting caught by any soldiers, and entered the room before shutting the door behind him. The captain narrowed his eyes at the blond and stood up, "What are you doing in here, Sergeant?" Sabo took his cap off and tossed it aside before running a hand through his hair as he glared darkly at the man, "I'm here to take you down and get you back for what you did to my friend."

The captain arched a brow before smirking, "You mean that woman? I was simply having fun with her." Sabo's eyes narrowed and he clenched his fists, "She didn't seem to think it was very 'fun'." Before the captain could retort, Sabo launched across the room and tackled him to the floor and began to pummel him relentlessly as his vision went red.

The captain was quickly knocked unconscious, but Sabo didn't stop there. He continued punching him until his face was bloody and barely recognizable before he wrapped his hands around the man's throat and squeezed. After a few minutes, he realized that the captain's breathing had stopped and he slowly released his throat as he calmed down.

He stared at his hands before clenching them into fists and standing up, disappointed in himself for giving into his anger so easily. He walked over to a window and unlatched it before jumping out and heading to the docks. When he got to the ship and boarded, Tazz seemed to appear out of nowhere, already changed back into her usual clothing, with a concerned expression on her face when she noticed how distraught he looked, "Sabo? Are you alright?"

He stared at her for a moment before looking away and covering his face with a hand, "I..." She frowned a bit and put a hand on his arm before rubbing gently, "Why don't you get changed and go to my room? I'll meet you there." He nodded and walked off without another word as the ship set sail for Vartigo.

He stopped by his room to change into a dark t-shirt and pajama pants before going to Tazz's room and entering, walking over to the bed before sitting and putting his head in his hands. Not long later, Tazz entered with two bottles of sake that she grabbed from the kitchen and sat next to him as she held one out to him, nudging his hand with it to get his attention. He looked at the bottle before taking it with a nod of thanks and opening it as she did the same to hers and leaned back on one hand, "I know you aren't one to drink, but I think we could both use this."

He nodded in agreement and took a large gulp before looking over at her, "I think you should be the distressed one in this situation..." She chuckled softly and took a drink as she shrugged, "Probably." He smiled a bit and took another gulp before running his hand through his hair and rubbing his still hidden scar, "I can't believe I got absorbed by my anger so easily... I usually have better restraint than that..."

She frowned a bit and set her bottle aside before taking the hand he had against his scar, "Hey, don't beat yourself up over it. I think you lost control so quickly because it had to do with me." He looked at her before setting his bottle down and pulling her against him as he laid down on her, burying his face in the crook of her neck. She blushed brightly and wiggled a bit before sighing and going still, "Sabo?"

He remained silent and curled two fingers in her collar before pulling it down to expose the bite mark he put on her shoulder and he licked it before kissing it, making her shiver a bit and put her hands on his shoulders in a feeble attempt to push him away, "Sabo, what are you doing?" He lightly sucked on the spot before grazing his teeth against the tender skin, getting a sharp gasp from her as her head fell back, "S-Sabo!" He grunted softly against her and wrapped his arms around her to keep her still before he pulled back enough to give her a pleading look.

She bit her lower lip before putting her hands on his cheeks and used her thumb to wipe away some of the make-up covering his scar. They stared at each other for a minute or so before they leaned closer, eyes slipping shut as they did so. When their lips were an inch away, they hesitated before Sabo closed the distance and melded their lips together.

During the kiss, he slid an arm to rest under under her lower back and press her closer against him while his other hand held the back of her head. After a few moments, he pulled back and nipped her lower lip before opening his eyes as her own fluttered open. She was taken aback by how his eyes were now a darker shade of blue as he panted lightly with a light flush dusting his cheeks.

He gently grasped the hair at the back of her head and tilted her head back before pressing his lips under her chin and kissed down to her throat as she gripped his shoulders, "S-Sabo..." He closed his eyes and lightly nipped at her throat before dragging his tongue over the swell of it. She shuddered as her eye slipped shut and she bit her lip to stifle a small moan.

He slid his knees up under her legs and grasped the back of her shirt with his hand on her lower back as his mouth roamed around her neck. He seemed to suddenly realize what he was doing and quickly pulled back to stare at her with wide eyes but kept his hand in her hair, "T-Tazz! I'm so sorry! I-I don't know what came over me..." She panted lightly and opened her eye half-way to look at him, moving her hands up to cup his cheeks as she smiled a bit, "I... I'm curious as to where this is coming from and I'm not exactly complaining, but... Are you sure you're okay? I don't want to be doing this just because you're upset. I..."

He blinked at her as she trailed off and a hesitant look came to her face before she took a deep breath, "I love you, Sabo, and I'd want it to actually mean something..." His eyes widened once more as he processed her words and his blush darkened considerably, shocked by her confession. He was silent for a moment before smiling warmly and leaning a bit closer until their noses brushed, "I love you too, Tazz. You're right. This should wait until we're in a better state."

She returned his smile and wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him into a hug. He buried his face in her shoulder as he completely relaxed on top of her, making her wheeze a bit and playfully smack his shoulder, "You're heavy, Blondie!" He grinned against her shoulder and hugged her tighter, "And you're really comfortable."

She huffed but let a smile turn the corner of her lips up as she closed her eye, enjoying the embrace and the peace that fell over them. She heard his breathing even out and glanced over to see that he had fallen asleep with a serene smile on his face. She smiled softly and carefully moved out from under him before managing to get him under the covers.

After getting him situated, she turned so her back was facing him and pulled her shirt and pants off so she could change into her pajamas. She got her pajama pants on and was about to pull her tank top over her head when she felt fingertips lightly touching the scar on her upper back, making her tense and look over her shoulder to see Sabo staring with droopy eyes since he was half-asleep. She watched him before squeaking softly when he grabbed her waist and tugged her onto the bed and under the covers, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her against his chest as he nuzzled her neck.

She sighed softly and tried to get out of his arms before accepting that his iron-grip wasn't budging an inch. She just closed her eye and settled down for the night after tugging the covers up to her neck. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep, lulled by Sabo's warmth against her back and his steady breathing.

Sabo was the first to wake the next morning and he groaned softly as he buried his face in messy hair and hugged the warmth tighter. He slowly opened his eyes and blinked his vision clear before realizing that his hands were against bare skin. He furrowed his brows and lifted the covers a bit to see that Tazz was shirtless and he blushed brightly before slowly removing his arms from around her.

He slipped out of bed, making sure she was covered by the sheets, and rubbed a hand over his face to try to calm his blush before it went darker when he recalled their confessions and everything else that had transpired the previous evening. He put his head in his hands and sat on the edge of the bed before tensing when he felt Tazz move. She rolled onto her stomach and shimmied the covers down to the middle of her back to free her arms so she could fold them under her pillow as she looked over at the frazzled blond, "What's got your feathers ruffled?"

He rubbed the back of his neck and kept his attention ahead, "Y-You're shirtless..." She hummed as if just remembering that fact, "Oh, yeah. Last night, you were half-asleep and pulled me in bed before I could put my tank top on." His ears burned and he ducked his head, "S-Sorry..."

She chuckled and patted his back before sliding out from the covers, making Sabo whip his head in the opposite direction, "You're so cute when you're flustered." He huffed and crossed his arms as he continued to look away until she put her usual sleeveless top on. She put her cargo pants and belt on her bed and nodded to the door, "You should probably go get changed. It's not very productive to lounge around in pajamas all day."

He nodded in agreement and stood before heading to the door, pausing briefly to look back at her before leaving the room and heading to his own quarters. They both changed into their usual outfits before heading out to the deck for fresh air and climbed up the main mast to sit on the yard. Tazz took a deep breath of the salty air as a breeze whisked passed them and looked out at the open waters while Sabo smiled softly at her.

After a moment of silence, he looked away and rubbed the back of his neck as a light blush appeared on his cheeks, "Hey, Tazz? Do you... remember anything else from last night?" She hummed in though and nodded, a minor tint of pink coming to her cheeks as she looked ahead, "Yeah." He cleared his throat awkwardly and began twiddling his thumbs, "D-Did you mean what you said?"

She looked over at him and smiled, putting a hand over one of his, "Of course. I actually had a little crush on you as a kid. When we met at that island, it came back stronger than ever. I still love you despite all the shit that happened with Mia..." He turned his hand to hold hers and squeezed it a bit, "I'm really sorry about that... I don't know how she had me wrapped around her little finger..." She returned the squeeze and leaned against him, "I forgive you."

They sat in silence for a while longer as they relaxed, enjoying the quiet that surrounded them. A few minutes later, Sabo jumped up to his feet as Tazz got into a crouch and they exchanged a look, sensing something getting close to their ship with their observation Haki. A moment later, shouts sounded from the deck as pirates boarded the ship.

Sabo jumped down as Tazz remained crouched on the yard, keen eye observing everything going on and quickly picking out the captain by his arrogant vibe. Sabo stepped in front of the captain and glared at him, "Leave this ship at once." The pirate stood to his full height, which had a good few feet on Sabo, and smirked as he held up a sword, "What are you gonna do about it, blondie?"

A weight landed on the pirate's shoulders and what appeared to be a tail waved a bit at the edge of his vision as he blinked when a shadow fell over his face and something sharp touched his throat. He looked down to see a metal hand with sharp claws held to his neck and the color drained from his face. Sabo smiled and crossed his arms over his chest, "Oh, it won't be me doing something about it. It'll be her."

A random pirate off to the side gasped and pointed at whatever was crouching on the captain's shoulders, "It's 'Black-Fire' Tazz!" The captain gulped and began to shake from fear as Tazz tapped her claws against his throat, "Oh? I didn't know I was so feared. I don't even know what I did." Sabo chuckled and shrugged a shoulder, "Well, what I've read about you in newspapers makes you out to be pretty destructive and fierce when fighting. You also have a tendency to be intimidating when you get excited."

Tazz blinked at the blond before nodding and grinning, "Gotcha." She looked back down at the pirate she was standing on when he spoke in a shaky voice, "W-What's a pirate like you doing on this ship?" She stood up from her crouch on his shoulders, "I'm not a pirate anymore. Now I'm Chief of Combat for the Revolutionary Army."

She grinned widely and put her hands on her hips proudly, "Man, it feels good to say that! Back to the matter at hand, would you gents mind leaving this ship immediately?" She jumped off of him and landed next to Sabo before standing straight with a challenging smirk on her face as her arms reverted back to normal, "Or am I gonna have to make you leave by force?" The pirate captain clicked his tongue and turned away, "W-Whatever! I doubt there'd be anything of value on this blasted ship anyway."

Tazz's smirk dropped as a faint sound met her ears and she tilted her head a bit to locate the sound, "Wait." The captain froze and tensed, waiting for her next words. Her eye narrowed as a dangerous look came to her face, "Why is there a kid on your ship?"

Sabo looked at her with a brow raised in confusion and his eyes widened at her furious expression and watched her stomp towards the captain before she spun the man around and grabbed his collar to yank him down to her level as her eye began to glow a bit, "Bring the kid here now." The pirate frantically waved a hand and one of his crew went back to their ship before returning with a roughed up boy that looked to be around ten years of age. She looked over at the kid and her eye widened as her grip loosened as she was shocked at how much he resembled Ace from when they were children, the only difference being this kid's lack of freckles and icy blue eyes rather than dark.

Tazz snapped out of her shock and growled deeply before pulling her fist back and decking the captain in the face, sending him flying back and into several of his crew mates before they landed on the deck of their own ship. She clenched her fists and snarled, her eye briefly flashing wider as a pulse of Haki left her and knocked out most of the pirate crew. She glared darkly at the ones that remained conscious, "Get your crew and get the hell of this ship."

They scrambled to comply with her orders as Sabo was staring at the kid, just as shocked as Tazz had been when he realized how familiar the boy looked. Once the pirate ship was far enough, Tazz jumped up to the top of the mast and pulled her fist back as black flames covered it. She let out a roar and thrust her arm forward, sending a giant pillar of fire at the pirate ship.

The ship caught fire and sank as Tazz panted lightly before jumping down to the deck. Sabo put a hand on her shoulder with a look of concern, "Are you alright?" She nodded and covered her face with a hand, "Y-Yeah... I'm just pissed because a pirate ship is no place for a kid." She turned her head to the boy and frowned when he flinched from her sharp gaze.

She sighed softly and walked over before crouching in front of him, "Hey, kid. What were you doing on that ship?" He tried to act tough and gave her a meek glare as he crossed his arms, "M-My name's not kid! It's Raize!" His facade faltered and he looked at the deck, "I was caught stealing food from them and they made me a cabin-boy..."

Tazz glanced back at Sabo who was smiling a bit at the coincidence, "Raize, huh?" She turned back to Raize and put a hand on his shoulder with a comforting smile, "Listen, you're safe now. I promise." He stared at her with wide eyes before they filled with tears and he sniffled before lunging at her and hugging her as tightly as he could manage, "Thank you!"

She blinked and her hands hovered over his back before she returned the hug and watched him wail into her chest with a small smile.


	14. Familiar

Tazz shifted so that she was kneeling and she rubbed Raize's back. Suddenly, an image of Ace as a child flashed through her mind and her hair shadowed her face. Raize felt something land on his head and looked up to see her smiling sadly as tears dripped from her single eye.

He sniffled and furrowed his brows, "Are you alright, miss?" She chuckled softly and nodded, reaching up to wipe her eye before hugging him a bit tighter, "Yeah. You just reminded me of someone..." Sabo frowned and knelt down next to them and put a hand on her shoulder before squeezing lightly.

She traded her sad smile for an excited one, "Hey! Why don't you come with us?" The boy blinked before grinning widely, "Can I?!" Sabo smiled rather uneasily and rubbed the back of his neck, "I don't know if that's a good idea..."

Tazz waved a hand dismissively, "Nonsense! Raize, how do you define 'justice'?" Raize pondered her question for a moment before giving a nod and looking at her with a firm gaze, "Justice to me means that everyone is treated fairly and equally! No one is better than anyone else, especially from the conditions they were born in. Back at my home island, there were a lot of snooty nobles that let the commoners get really sick because they thought they didn't deserve medicine..." Tazz and Sabo shared a look and she smiled, "That sounds a lot like where we grew up."

She suddenly picked Raize up and held him to her chest, "You'll make a fine revolutionary!" He blushed and squirmed in her hold, "Lemme go, crazy lady!" She laughed and rubbed the top of his head before putting her hat on him, making him pause and look up at her.

The gleeful grin on her face made him blush and look away with a slight puff of his cheeks before she finally put him down. He tugged her hat down to hide his face and she chuckled before gently pushing him towards Sabo, "Hey, Blondie. How about you go get him changed out of those rags. I'm sure you'll have something that can fit him and if not, I could make some small adjustments." Sabo gave an exasperated sigh and smiled before gesturing for Raize to follow, "Come on."

Just then, a shadow fell over them and Tazz looked up to see a Sea-king snarling at them, beady eyes zeroed in on the boy who stared in a mix of shock and fear. Several shouts and gasps sounded as the beast lunged and Raize squeezed his eyes shut. After hearing a shout of Tazz's name, he slowly opened his eyes to see that he was held in her right arm as she knelt on one knee, head turned to the left so her face was hidden from him.

He blinked when he saw the Sea-king shrink back a bit before a breeze blew passed, making Tazz's hair sway to show the chilling glare that she pinned the monster with. Her eye flashed as a pulse of Haki left her, getting the Sea-king to let out a squeal of fear, "Get lost." The monster was gone in an instant and once it was out of sight, Tazz relaxed with a sigh before turning to Raize with a smile, "You alright?"

His eyes widened and he pointed at her, "Y-You're arm!" She blinked at him before looking at her left arm to see that it was missing from the bicep down and she groaned, "Dammit. I don't think I can get another one for free this time..." She released the boy to reach up and detach the damaged arm, leaving just the metal receiver on her shoulder before tossing the remains overboard, "That scene was eerily familiar."

Sabo frowned and knelt next to her left side and held his hands out, "Tazz, you're bleeding." She looked at her side and saw a deep gash and she lightly touched the area around it before looking at the bloody fingertips of her glove, "Well, will you look at that. Must've happened when I pulled Raize out of the way." The boy sniffled as tears filled his eyes and he clung to her chest, hands gripping her shirt, "Are you gonna die?!"

She gave him an incredulous look before laughing heartily and rubbing his head with her hat still on it, "Of course not! Something little like that wouldn't kill me. I've survived a war, after all." She looked over at Sabo and nodded towards Raize, "Go get him settled in. I'll meet you in my room so you can patch me up." The blond nodded and pried the youngster off of her before taking him inside while trying to calm him down.

After waving off the concern of the other revolutionaries, Tazz went inside and headed to her room to find Sabo waiting for her there with her first-aid kit in his hands. She shut the door behind her as she entered and he sat on the edge of her bed as he opened the kit, "Once I got him changed into one of my t-shirts and a pair of boxers, he was out like a light." She hummed and pulled her shirt off before sitting next to him, "Do you see the resemblance?"

He was quiet for a moment as he got out what he needed before nodding, "Yeah. He's even got the same look of determination..." A silence fell over them and Sabo put disinfectant on a cotton ball and turned to Tazz, "This is gonna sting." She shrugged a shoulder and looked at her side, "Eh, I'll live."

He smiled a bit and started cleaning the wound and Tazz hissed at the sting, "Sonuva-!" She shut her eye and gripped the fabric of her pants as he continued cleaning. After cleaning, he started stitching the wound shut and she relaxed.

His lips quirked as he focused on his task, amused at how she found the cleaning to be more painful than the suturing and touching of the wound. He finished up and wrapped her in gauze before he put the kit up and got her a t-shirt to put on. She kicked her boots off and stood as Sabo gathered the bloody cotton balls and her ruined shirt to dispose of them and Tazz took the chance to change into a pair of sweatpants while he was out of the room.

When he returned, he helped her lay down and pulled the covers over her when there was a knock at the door. They both looked to see Raize in the doorway rubbing one of his eyes with a sleepy look. After an awkward moment of silence, he shuffled his feet with a light blush, "C-Can I nap with you?"

She smiled softly and patted the spot on her right, "Come on." He shut the door behind him before trotting over and climbing up on the bed, slipping under the covers and snuggling up to her right side. She ran her fingers through his hair and lulled him to sleep.

Sabo smiled and sat on the edge of the bed. She looked at him and smiled while nodding her head to her left, "Join us." He thought about it for a moment before taking his hat off and removing his coat, gloves, cravat, and waistcoat. He kicked his shoes off before slipping under the covers and carefully curling around her left side, being mindful of her wound, before they fell into a peaceful sleep.

A couple of hours later, Sabo was the first to wake and he propped himself up on an elbow while rubbing an eye. He looked over to see Raize laying on Tazz's stomach with his head on her chest, hands gripping the sides of her shirt. She had her arm draped over his back and he smiled to himself when he saw that they were both drooling with snot bubbles.

He blinked when he realized how they looked like a mother and son, and a warm feeling filled his chest at the thought before he shook his head. Tazz's snot bubble popped and she mumbled sleepily while turning to lay on her left side, still holding Raize against her as she slightly curled around him. Another moment passed before her eye fluttered open and she looked up to see Sabo watching with a thoughtful look on his face.

She rubbed her eye before ruffling her hair as she stretched a bit with a small groan. After relaxing once more, she put her arm back around Raize, "What're you thinking about?" Sabo tensed a little before blushing lightly at being caught staring and he looked away sheepishly, "N-Nothing..."

She smiled and used her knee to nudge his lower back, "I know you're lying." He pouted a bit before looking back at her, "Tazz? Would you ever want kids?" She blinked at his odd question before humming in thought, "Hmm... Maybe after I've settled down if ever." He smiled softly and looked at the boy still clinging to her and snoozing away, "I think you'd make a good mom."

She smiled as well and followed his gaze to Raize, "I'd hope so..." She put her hand on the boy's shoulder and lightly shook it, "Time to wake up." Raize's snot bubble popped and he pressed his face into her chest while hugging her tighter, "Five more minutes, mom..."

She chuckled and patted his back, "Come on. It's lunchtime." He finally opened his eyes and blinked when he saw nothing but her chest before he looked up to see her giving him a amused smile. He blushed and rolled away from her before sitting up with his arms crossed and a pout on his face.

Tazz sat up and wrapped her arm and legs around him while leaning down to rub her cheek against the top of his head with a grin, "You're so adorable~!" He blushed more and started squirming and waving his arms, "Let go, hag!" She paused before a tick-mark appeared on her forehead and she pinched his cheek and pulled as she scowled, "Hag?! I'm only 20!"

He waved his arms more frantically, "Gah! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She pinched his cheek once more before releasing it and roughly rubbing the top of his head, messing up his wavy black hair, "Hmph! That's what I thought, you little runt." Sabo chuckled as he watched them, a content smile on his face.

Tazz got off the bed and stretched before jerking her thumb towards the door, "Let's go get some lunch." Sabo stood up and Raize hopped off the bed before trotting over to her with a wide grin as she opened the door. She was about to step out when she realized that Carlon was on the other side of the door and looked like he was about to knock and they blinked dumbly at each other before he smiled and lowered his hand, "Tazz-san! I just came by to tell you that we're gonna make a stop at Oba Island so you can get a new arm."

She frowned a bit and shivered at the thought of the snowy island, "Dammit..." Carlon gave her a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, "We got some thick winter coats when we were docked at the previous island just in case." He looked down at the boy who was giving him a slight glare and rubbed his chin, "I'm afraid we don't have one small enough for a kid, though..."

Tazz waved a hand and smiled, "It's fine. We'll just get him one and more fitting clothes when we get to Oba." Carlon nodded and smiled as he turned to walk away, "By the way, everyone else already ate lunch so you guys will probably have to make something for yourselves." She nodded and stepped through the door, "That's fine."

Carlon walked away as Raize and Sabo followed after Tazz in the direction of the kitchen. She looked down at the boy with a smile, "What would you like for lunch?" He looked up at her before turning his gaze ahead as he thought before grinning, "Meat dumplings!"

She chuckled and nodded before looking to her right at Sabo, "That alright with you?" He returned her smile and nodded, "Yeah." She rubbed the back of her head before pointing at her left shoulder, "Would you mind giving me a hand?"

The blond rolled his eyes at her joke before nodding with an exasperated smile, "Sure." A tug on the hem of her shirt made her look down to see Raize holding it with one hand as he looked ahead, a light blush on his slightly puffed cheeks, "I'll help too..." She smiled and patted his head, "Thank you."

When they got to the kitchen, Tazz got out a hair-tie before holding it out to Sabo, "Mind putting my hair back for me?" He nodded and took the hair-tie before gathering as much of her choppy hair at the back of her head as he could and tied it up, running his fingers through the strands, "For how messy your hair is, it's really soft." She smiled and nodded once he finished, "So I've been told."

Tazz picked Raize up by the back of his borrowed shirt and set him on a nearby stool before she and Sabo went around the kitchen to get the necessary equipment and ingredients. After getting the meat mixture in a bowl, she handed the bowl to Raize before giving him a spoon, "Mind mixing this for me?" He nodded and began mixing the mixture thoroughly, a cute focused look on his face.

Tazz went over to two towel-covered bowls and lifted the cloths to see that the dough inside had risen to a good size. She grabbed the bowls in her arm and put them on the counter before covering part of the surface in flour and putting the dough on it as Sabo blinked at them, "When did you make that?" She smiled and managed to cut the dough into rather large pieces, "I threw it together before meeting you in my room. I was gonna make some dumplings to go with the alcohol, but I forgot about it."

She looked at him and handed him a rolling pin, "I'll need you to roll them out. I'll fill them." He nodded and took the pin before he began rolling the dough pieces out as she went over to Raize to look at the meat mixture. She nodded in approval and patted his head, "Good job."

He gave her a proud grin as she took the bowl before taking it over to where Sabo was still flattening the pieces. She started filling them before reaching back with her foot and hooking it around a leg of Raize's stool and pulled it to the counter on her other side, "How about you close them up?" He nodded and started sealing the filled dumplings, though they looked rather sloppy due to his lack of skill.

They continued in a pleasant silence until all of the dumplings were completed and Sabo put a large pot of water on the stove to boil. Once it was boiling, Tazz started putting the dumplings in the water before putting them on large plates when they finished cooking. After they were all cooked, Tazz started putting together a couple small bowls of dipping sauces, making sure to make one of them super spicy just for her.

Afterwards, she and Sabo cleaned up before pulling a couple of stools to the counter to sit down with Raize between them so they could start eating. Raize pointed at the dipping sauce in front of Tazz, "What's different about that one?" She smiled and dipped a dumpling in it before taking a bite, "It's really spicy."

Sabo picked up one of his dumplings and dipped it in the sauce he would be sharing with Raize, "I didn't know you liked spicy food." She nodded and popped the rest of her dumpling in her mouth, "Oh, I love it." They ate in relative silence before Tazz looked at Raize to see his cheeks covered in small pieces of food, making her chuckle and reach down to wipe one of his cheeks, "Jeez. You're such a messy eater, Ace."

Sabo looked at her as her eye widened when she realized what she just said while Raize gave her a confused look, "Ace?" She looked back at her plate as her hair shadowed her eyes and a sad smile came to her face, "Sorry... It was a slip of the tongue..." The boy blinked before figuring something out, "Earlier you said I reminded you of someone. Is his name Ace?"

She nodded a bit and slowly ate another dumpling and he furrowed his brows, "Why do you look so sad?" Sabo reached over and put a hand on Tazz's shoulder while he looked down at Raize, "Ace... is no longer with us." Raize put two-and-two together and looked at his food with a small frown, "Oh..."

After a tense silence, he turned to Tazz and hugged her side, "I'm sorry for bringing it up..." She let out a sigh and patted his head, "It's fine. It's not like you knew about it. I'm sure he wouldn't want us to keep moping every time with think about him, any way." Sabo smiled a bit and looked back to his food, "He'd probably try to beat us up."

Tazz chuckled softly and nodded before eating the rest of her dumplings with the other two finishing soon after. After cleaning their dishes and putting them up, they went back to Tazz's room and sat on her bed. Raize climbed up on the bed before clambering into her lap and leaning back against her.


	15. Family

Tazz folded her legs under him so he was nestled down with his legs thrown over hers and she leaned back on her hand, "Where are you from, Raize?" He crossed his arms and thought, "Well, I don't remember the name of the island, but it was really snowy and cold. And there was a mean Marine guy that bullied everyone and the nobles were huge jerks." She and Sabo shared a look, both thinking about how it sounded like Oba Island.

She looked back down at the boy, "What about your family?" He tilted his head from side-to-side as he thought before shrugging, "Didn't have one. I grew up in an orphanage." Tazz hummed and scooted back to lean against the wall with Raize still in her lap, "I know what that's like. I didn't grow up in an orphanage, but I did have to take care of myself and my little brother for the most part."

He tilted his head back to look up at her, curiosity clear on his face, "You have a little brother?" She smiled and nodded as she draped her arm over him, "Yeah. He's a year younger than me and a big troublemaker." Raize smiled and looked ahead, "Having a family must be nice..."

Tazz and Sabo watched him before s soft smile came to her face and she leaned down a bit, "Want to be my family?" Raize looked up at her with wide eyes before turning around and hugging her with a wide smile, "You mean it?!" She nodded and put her arm around him, "Yeah."

He tilted his head up and grinned, "Would you be like my mom or something?" She blinked before averting her gaze and rubbing the back of her head, "I dunno..." He hugged her tighter and nuzzled against her chest, "You can decide later."

Sabo watched them with a smile before they all looked over at the door when there was a knock. Carlon's voice came from the other side, "We docked at Oba Island. I've got your coats." Sabo stood up and went to the door to open it and take the coats that were handed to him before thanking Carlon and shutting the door.

He walked over to the bed and put the coats on it before he started putting on his outerwear, hat, and gloves. Tazz gently nudged Raize off of her before she got off the bed and got a spare sleeveless shirt just like the one that was torn earlier, "I'm gonna have to change so you two might want to look away." Sabo quickly turned away, but Raize blinked at her before Sabo slapped a hand over his eyes and turned him around.

After changing into her usual outfit, she managed to tug her shirt down on her own before putting on a glove on her right hand and shoving the left one in her pocket. She put on the black coat as well as her hat and Sabo took the blue one before looking at Raize, "Do you want to stay on the ship? It'll be a lot warmer." He shook his head and gave a firm look, "I wanna go!"

Tazz chuckled softly and patted the boys head, "Alright. We'll get you some stuff after getting my arm." He smiled and nodded before they left the room and started heading to the deck. Once they got outside, they all simultaneously shivered and Raize rubbed his arms before trudging on through the snow that began to accumulate on the deck, "L-Let's go!"

Tazz let out a sigh, her breath turning to fog, before following after the boy with Sabo next to her. They made their way into the town and stopped at a clothing store and Sabo looked around, just now noticing the lack of another certain boy, "Where's Raize?" Tazz had a blank look on her face as something moved under her coat on her right.

Sabo chuckled and they quickly entered the store to escape the cold and Tazz opened her jacket to reveal Raize clinging to her side like a little monkey with snot running down his nose as he shivered. They all let out content sighs as the warmth inside washed over them and Raize let go of Tazz before looking around the store.

Tazz started walking around with the boy as he began picking out several outfits, mostly tank tops and t-shirts with one or two kanji phrases and knee-length shorts. She grabbed him a small, icy-blue coat and a pair of gloves before taking all of the clothes to the register. The clerk smiled at the three as she rung everything up, "Your son is adorable."

Tazz blinked before blushing lightly and waving her hand, "He's not my son!" The disappointed look on Raize's face didn't escape her attention and she rubbed the back of her neck, "At least, not biologically..." His face lit up in a bright grin and he hugged her leg while the clerk put a hand over her mouth, "I'm sorry! I just assumed he was because he looked very similar to you two. His hair is black like yours, miss, and he has blue eyes and wavy hair like you, sir."

Sabo looked at Raize before tucking his chin in his fist, "I guess I can see the resemblance..." After paying for everything and putting it all in bags, Sabo put Raize's new coat on him before they left the store and started heading for the prosthetic shop. When they got there, Sabo noticed that Raize was nowhere in sight before he looked at Tazz to see movement under her coat before the boy's head popped out from the collar of it.

She put her chin on his head and gestured for Sabo to open the door, making him roll his eyes with a smile before doing so and entering. Raize remained in Tazz's coat and the shopkeeper came out from the back. He smiled widely and walked towards them before recognizing the adults, "Ah! You two! What brings you back here?"

Tazz got a sheepish look on her face and averted her gaze, "I, uh, lost the arm..." The shopkeeper blinked before his eyes widened, "Lost the arm?! How?!" Raize piped up from his spot, "She saved me from a Sea-king!"

The older man let out a hum as he rubbed his chin, "Is that so? Well, Let me get you another." Tazz smiled gratefully before opening her coat and dumping Raize out from it so she could take it off. The shopkeeper returned with an arm similar to her previous one and he smiled politely as he started attaching it to her shoulder.

When he finished, he stepped back and smiled as Raize took her new hand and started examining it before he put his hands on his hips, "I won't charge you this time since you lost the other one for a good reason. Next time, though, I'll charge you double for being so reckless with it." Tazz gave him an apologetic smile as she rubbed the back of her neck with her free hand, "I'll be more careful. Thank you." The shopkeeper waved them off and once they got outside, Raize quickly climb up Tazz and clung to her side once more, making her and Sabo chuckle before they started heading back to the ship as she put the second glove on.

On the way back, Raize slipped out from Tazz's coat before gathering snow in his hands and compacting it into a ball while the other two watched with curious faces. The boy turned and hurled the ball at Sabo, nailing him in the face, and Tazz busted out laughing as Raize stood proudly. Sabo was still and the snow slid from his face and he shot Tazz a glare before smirking darkly.

She stopped laughing and gave an uneasy smile as she started backing up, "H-Hey, you aren't mad, are you Goldilocks?" He didn't say anything as he turned towards her and began stepping closer. He lunged at her and tackled her into the snowbank as she let out a yelp.

They rolled around in the snow before Sabo grabbed a handful of snow and shoved it in her face as he grinned widely. She wiggled under him and reached to both sides of her, grabbing some snow before slapping it against his cheeks as she flipped their positions so she was straddling his waist. She grabbed a handful of snow and pulled the collar of his coat back before stuffing the snow inside right before Raize jumped on her back while laughing merrily.

She fell forward onto Sabo and they all continued to wrestle in the snow before deciding to stop before they got sick. Tazz laid on her back with Raize on her stomach while panting as Sabo stood, dusting himself off with a happy smile before holding his hand out to help her up. She returned the smile and took his hand while holding the boy against her as Sabo pulled her to her feet.

After letting go of her hand, Sabo walked a few feet away and stooped down to grab their hats, slapping them against each other to get the snow off before returning to Tazz and putting her hat on her as he put his on as well. A voice made them look to their right to see an irritated-looking older woman, "Raize?"

Raize tensed and clung to Tazz's chest as he scowled, "What do you want, Marol?" Marol scowled right back and stomped over as she jabbed a finger towards him, making Tazz turn a bit to move him away, "Don't 'what do you want' me, you damn brat! You've been missing for months and now you show up out of the blue?! Where the hell have you been?!" Tazz glared at the woman, not at all liking her attitude, "He was forced to be cabin-boy for some pirates."

Marol just scoffed and roughly grabbed Raize's arm, making him whimper at the tight grip, "Whatever! You're coming back to the orphanage immediately!" Tazz's hand was on her wrist in an instant and gripped tightly and the woman let out a pained cry as she released Raize's arm and grabbed Tazz's wrist with her other hand. Tazz's eye narrowed dangerously as she increased pressure, "No he isn't. He's staying with us."

Fear flashed through Marol's eye and she tried to pry Tazz's hand off, "W-Who the hell are you?!" Tazz glanced at Raize before turning back to the woman, "His new mom. Now kindly fuck off before I snap your wrist like a twig." She released Marol's wrist and the woman held it to her chest as she stepped back, a nervous bead of sweat dripping down her temple, "Y-You can have him!"

She ran off and was soon out of sight. Tazz relaxed and looked down to see Raize sniffled as he pressed his face to her chest, "You alright?" He nodded and hugged her tighter as Sabo rubbed his back comfortingly, "Who was that?" He wiped his eyes and sniffled again, "She runs the orphanage. She's a mean old witch!"

Tazz frowned and hugged him, "You won't have to worry about her now." Raize looked up at her with hopeful eyes, "Are you really gonna be my mom?" She smiled and nodded, "Yeah."

Sabo smiled softly and put his hand on her back as they resumed walking to the ship as the sky began to set. A sneeze made them look at Raize still cradled against Tazz's chest and they saw that his cheeks were flushed and his nose was running. She frowned and slipped him inside her coat to warm him up some more, "I'll make some soup for us when we get back."

They soon returned to the ship and it began to set sail as Tazz handed Raize off to Sabo, "Go get him warmed up while I make some soup." He nodded and took the boy as well as the bags of clothing and went to his room. He set him on the bed and eased his coat off before changing him into some of his new clothes and wrapping him in a thick blanket.

After getting Raize warmed up, he changed out of his own snow-soaked clothes and into a long-sleeved blue sweater and gray sweatpants after setting his hat aside. Raize sneezed again and held the blanket tighter against him, "Are you gonna be my dad?" Sabo paused with a light blush on his cheeks before smiling a bit, "W-Well, Tazz and I aren't together... Officially, at least."

Raize pouted a bit and sniffled, "I think you should be..." Sabo chuckled softly and picked him up before taking him to the kitchen, "Maybe." They entered just as Tazz finished a pot of soup before she ladled it into three bowls and set them on the counter in front of three stools.

Sabo sat Raize down on the stool in the middle before taking his own spot next to him as Tazz sat on his other side. Raize crawled over into her lap and scooted his bowl over before he began eating as Sabo rubbed the back of his neck, "So, Raize... wants me to be his dad..." She glanced over at him with an arched brow, "What's your decision?"

He blushed lightly and stared at his soup, "W-Well, I think it'd only be appropriate if the mom and d-dad are, uh...together..." She smiled and reached over to touch his hand, "That's fine with me. I guess it's official now." He smiled at her and took her hand as Raize smiled widely, happy to have a family, though it was an odd one.

They ate their soup in a comfortable silence. Once they finished, Raize's head started to nod as his eyes drooped, showing that he was starting to fall asleep. Tazz smiled and scooped him up in her arms and looked at Sabo, "Would you mind cleaning up?"

He smiled back and nodded before standing and taking the bowls as she got up and started heading to her room. She went inside and put Raize under the covers before changing into pajamas and getting in bed next to him and turning on her side to face him. He immediately cuddled up against her and gripped the side of her shirt as she put an arm over him.

A few minutes later, Sabo came in and smiled at the sight of the two sleeping peacefully and he turned off the light, the only source of illumination being the orange rays of the sun. He walked over to the bed and slipped under the sheets before cuddling against Tazz's back and he put an arm over her waist and his hand rested against Raize's back as he closed his eyes. He soon fell asleep with a content smile on his face.


	16. Re-Bonded

The next morning, Sabo woke when there was a knock on the door and he groaned, hugging Tazz tighter against him as he buried his face in her hair to try to drown out the early morning light. After a few more knocks, he sighed and reluctantly got out of bed and went to the door, rubbing an eye as he opened it, "Yes?" Rolo smiled and glanced passed the blond to see Tazz and Raize still sleeping, "Sorry to wake you, Sabo-san. I just wanted to let you know that we docked a few minutes ago."

Sabo nodded and rubbed his face as he leaned against the doorjamb, "How'd you know I was in here?" Rolo gave him a knowing look, "Carlon said that you'd been hanging around in here for most of this trip. And you weren't in your room." He let out a hum before nodding again and standing straight, "Alright. Thanks for telling me."

Rolo nodded and left as Sabo shut the door before going back to the bed and shaking Tazz's shoulder. She hummed sleepily and turned her head to look at him with a bleary gaze, "Yeah?" He sat next to her and peered over her to look at Raize, "Rolo came by to say that we docked. How about we go sleep a little more in HQ?"

She rubbed her eye and nodded before carefully slipping away from the boy pressed against her, "Sure. Let me just change real quick." He nodded and stood before leaving to go gather his things and change as well. He returned with Raize's bags of clothes and his own bag and saw Tazz, dressed in her usual outfit, sling her packed duffel bag over her back before she gently picked up Raize, trying not to wake him up.

She turned to Sabo with a smile and he held the door open for her. She nodded in thanks and they left the ship before heading to the compound. They went straight to Tazz's room, strangely not encountering Koala on the way, and went inside after Sabo dropped his stuff off in his room.

She put Raize under the covers of her bed before she took her hat and boots off and climbed after. Sabo took off his outerwear, hat, and shoes before getting in bed and snuggling against her back like he had the previous night. Tazz let out a content sigh and pulled Raize against her as she closed her eye, "I could get used to this."

Sabo smiled and nuzzled the top of her head, "Me too." They drifted off and slept for about an hour before Sabo woke up. He turned on his back and stretched out with a small grunt before getting out of bed and putting the rest of his outfit back on and looking at Tazz and Raize.

He smiled softly and lightly brushed her fringe from her face before he left the room to go inform Dragon that they returned. While he was gone, Tazz woke and yawned as she ruffled her hair before looking to see Raize clinging to her like she was a stuffed animal. She smiled and gently shook his shoulder, "Time to wake up, Raize."

The boy grumbled and buried his face in her chest, "Don't wanna." She chuckled softly and rubbed his back, "Come on, now. We need to get some breakfast and I gotta see if I have any paperwork." He groaned and moved away before sitting up and rubbing his eyes, "Fine..."

She smiled and ruffled his hair, much to his annoyance, "There you go. Let's go get some food." He nodded and slid off the bed as she stood up and put her hat and boots on before they left and headed to the cafeteria. On the way, Raize had at some point reached up and took Tazz's hand with a light blush on his cheeks.

They got to the cafeteria and Tazz looked down at him, "What would you like? There's pancakes, omelettes, cereal, and several other things." He looked up at her with a grin, "Omurice!" She chuckled and nodded before taking him to get the food.

She handed him his plate before she got herself a plate of omurice, one of pancakes, one of ham and bacon, and another of hash-browns as well as some toast and jams. Raize blinked up at her and pointed at all the plates she had balanced on both arms, "You're gonna eat all that?!" She smiled and nodded, "Yep!"

She started walking towards the table she usually ate at with Raize following behind and was greeted by Koala as they sat down, "Hey, Tazz! Who's the little cutie?" Tazz smiled and looked at the boy on her left, "This is Raize. I saved him from being a cabin-boy for a group of pirates. Raize, this lady here is Koala and the fishman next to her is Hack." Hack nodded in greeting as Koala put her hands on her cheeks as Raize muttered a shy 'Hello..', "He's adorable~!"

Tazz chuckled and nodded in agreement, "Yeah..." She turned to see Sabo sitting down on her right with several plates of food, "Where were you, Goldilocks?" He smiled and greeted the other two before glancing at her, "I was reporting to Dragon-san."

She let out a hum and nodded before she started eating. Sabo remembered something and blinked, "Oh, right! I'll have to clean your wound after we eat." Koala blinked and tilted her head, "Wound? Are you hurt?" She nodded as Raize cut in, "She got hurt when she saved me from a Sea-king."

Koala let out a hum and smiled, "I see. Well, I'm sure that won't keep you down, Tazz!" The dark-haired woman snorted as she shoved a large forkful of pancake in her mouth, "Damn right. It would take an army to take me out." They all ate with some chatter before Koala noticed something.

She leaned forward with her elbow on the table and looked between Tazz and Sabo with a scrutinizing gaze, "There's something different between you two... Could it be..." A wide grin came to her face as the pair blinked at her as she trailed off, "You two are dating?!" They both nearly choked on their food and Raize patted Tazz's back with a worried look.

Sabo's coughing subsided and he patted his chest, "W-Well...... Yeah." Koala let out a squeal of joy and clapped her hands together, "Yes! It's about time! Surely I wasn't the only one that could see the chemistry between you two." Hack nodded and stroked his beard, "I could see it as well."

Sabo rubbed his face while Tazz stared at her food, both having bright blushes on their cheeks. They resumed eating with some small talk. When they finished, they gathered their dishes before taking them to be cleaned and leaving the cafeteria.

As they walked, Sabo looked at Tazz with a smile, "Let's go get your wound cleaned and then I'll take Raize around the compound." She returned the smile and nodded, "Alright. While you do that, I'll go see if I have any paperwork to take care of." They got to Tazz's room and went inside.

The boys turned away so Tazz could removed her shirt and put a black sports bra on before she sat on the bed. Sabo got put her first-aid kit and sat next to her before he started unwrapping her abdomen. Raize frowned a bit and took one of her hands, "I'm sorry... You got hurt because of me..."

She smiled at him and ruffled her hair, "Don't be. I'd do it again if I had to." He smiled and sat on her other side. Sabo got out an ointment that would take care of any pain she might feel from the wound.

She winced as he started spreading it over the injury with two fingers and she flinched away, "Ow! That hurts!" He frowned and furrowed his brows as he tried to focus, "Sorry..." He accidentally pressed a bit too hard and made her hiss, "Be gentler!"

He huffed and used his other hand to hold her other side, "Relax! I'm trying, just stay still!" She let out a gasp as grabbed the sheets on her right, "Damn! Go slower!" He frowned more and lightened his touch as he finished up smearing the ointment on her wound, "There you go. That should help."

Right after, the door was kicked open and Dragon stomped in before he paused, seeing Sabo sitting next to Tazz looking like he was just tending to a wound. Dragon narrowed his eyes a fraction, not yet noticing the young boy on his daughter's other side, "What happened?" Sabo removed his hand from her other side and put the ointment and first-aid kit up, "She got hurt on the way back. I was just applying something that should help any soreness."

Dragon cleared his throat, not bringing to attention the fact that he had entirely misheard what was going on from outside the room, "I see. I just came by to see how things were between the two of you. I take it that you are getting along again?" Sabo smiled a bit and rubbed the back of his head, "I'd say a little better than before." Dragon narrowed his eyes again before nodding and turning to the door, "Good."

He then left and Tazz put her shirt back on as Raize stared at the door as it swung shut, "Who was that?" Tazz stood up and lightly touched her side before putting her hand on her hip, "That was Dragon. He's the big boss of the Army as well as my biological father." Raize hummed and swung his legs, "He looked tough."

Sabo chuckled and walked over to the door, "He has to be since he's the most wanted man in the world. Let's go show you around the compound." Raize smiled with a nod before he hopped off the bed and trotted over to the blond. They left with a wave to Tazz and she smiled before she started heading to her office.

She groaned when she saw a stack of papers on her desk and she slunk inside her office to get started. About an hour of working, she finished the paperwork and stretched her arms above her head with a grunt before standing and looking out one of the large windows. She saw Sabo and Raize in the courtyard and she smiled softly before deciding to go down.

When she got to the courtyard, she was stopped by Dragon who was looking at Sabo and the boy, "Who is that boy?" She smiled as she watched as Sabo crouched down and took something from under his coat before handing it to the kid, "His name is Raize. Quite the coincidence, huh? We saved him from some pirates. I got injured from saving him from a Sea-king." Dragon hummed at the information and Raize noticed them and waved his arms, a small black top hat in one hand, with a big grin before he started running over with Sabo trailing behind, "Mom! Look at what I got from dad!"

Dragon froze before slowly turning his head to look at Tazz with as inquisitive look as his stony face could muster, "'Mom'? 'Dad'?" She chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head, "Sabo and I, uh, kinda...adopted him in a way. We didn't want him to go back to that shit-hole of an orphanage he lived at before he was taken by the pirates." Dragon stared at her with a blank expression, but she could feel the disapproval rolling off of him and she turned away as Raize reached them.

She knelt down and smiled, putting an arm over one of her knees, "What'chya got there?" The boy held up the hat with a bright smile and she saw that it was a smaller version of Sabo's without the goggles, "A hat! Dad gave it to me!" She looked up at Sabo to see him blushing lightly at his new title as he smiled, "I found it in my room and figured he'd like it..."

She ruffled Raize's hair before taking his hat and putting it on him, "Don't you look spiffy?" He held the brim of the hat and grinned and Sabo lightly nudged him with a smile, "Let's finish up the tour." They walked off and Tazz stood back up as she watched them leave.

She sighed softly and rubbed her left shoulder, "You know, he reminds me of Ace when we were kids. Just quite a bit friendlier." Dragon watched her quietly for a moment before looking to where his Chief-of-Staff and the boy vanished from sight, "As much as I disapprove of this, I can't deny that it may be good for the two of you. It'd also be better for the boy than if he were to return to his former home." She smiled a bit and looked over at him, "How do you feel about technically being a grandpa?"

He was silent for another moment before he allowed a small smile appear, "It's not a bad feeling." He put a hand on her shoulder before walking off as she chuckled softly to herself. She turned and started heading towards her favorite spot to relax.

She sat down at the cliff and leaned back on her hands, watching the waves rise and fall in the distance as the late morning sun reflected off of them. She laid back and folded her arms behind her head after putting her hat over her face with a content smile on her face. She was soon lulled to sleep by the warm rays and the soothing sound of the sea.

Someone lifting her hat from her face woke her and she peeked her eye open to see Raize staring at her with a smile as she heard Sabo's voice to her right, "I thought I told you not to wake her..." Raize grinned and put her hat back on her face before she sat up and moved it to the top of her head, "It's fine. I was about to wake up anyway." She stretched her arms above her head before slumped a bit as Raize sat in her lap and leaned against her, "So, what brings you boys here?"

Sabo smiled and crossed his legs, "We finished his tour and wanted to spend some time with you. I figured you'd be here since the weather is really nice." She hummed and watched Raize as he messed with her hands, splaying his smaller ones against her gloved palms, "You figured correctly. I kinda wish there was something to do..." Sabo was quiet for a moment before he looked out at the water, "We could... visit Ace."

She looked over at him before nodding slowly, "I haven't yet since everything ended..." He stood and patted his pants off before holding a hand out to her with a small smile, "It shouldn't be too long of a trip." She smiled back and took his hand after Raize hopped off her lap before she was pulled to her feet.

Raize looked up at them with a hopeful look, "Can I go?" They looked at him before Sabo nodded, "Alright." Tazz held out her hand and Raize happily took it before they started walking to the docks.

After procuring a small caravel, they set off towards Ace's resting place. It took a few hours for them to get there and they dropped the anchor before getting off the ship. Sabo took Tazz's hand as her other was held by Raize and he led them closer to their destination.

When they got to Ace and Whitebeard's graves, Tazz had to bite her lip to keep it from trembling as she dropped their hands and walked closer before kneeling in front of the one with Ace's name and hat. She took her hat off and set it down as a few tears dripped down her cheek, "Hey, Ace. Sorry I haven't come visit until now. I spent a year with your crew after the war and I can see why you loved them so much." Sabo walked over and sat next to her as he also took his hat off before he gently took her hand.

She let out a shaky sigh and reached out to run her fingers over his name, "I just wish I was faster and stronger..." Raize watched her with his brows knitted in concern as he sat next to her and put a hand on her leg, "Mom?" She wiped her eye with her free hand before pulling the boy into her lap with a smile, "This here is Raize. Sabo and I kinda adopted him yesterday, so I guess you'd be an uncle of sorts."

She chuckled sadly and hugged the boy to her, "A near spitting image of you, huh? Just missing your freckles and dark eyes. He's a hell of a lot friendlier than you when you were his age. He's already been confused for being our biological son." Sabo lightly squeezed her hand and watched her with sad eyes. She smiled and looked up at the sky, "I even saved him like Shanks did Luffy. I had already lost my arm, though, so no major loss. I wonder if Luffy will ever get to meet him..."

She heard a familiar voice on the wind and her eye widened as she whipped her head to look at Ace's grave. She stiffened and her pupil became a slit as a figure began to manifest next to the gravestone. Sabo watched her in confusion before following her line of sight to see nothing but empty air, looking back at her when she muttered, "Ace..."

Raize blinked and looked at where she was staring, "Mom? Who's that man with the freckles?" The figure cleared up to show that it was indeed Ace who had a warm smile on his face. He stepped forward and crouched in front of Tazz as he put a hand on her head to ruffle her hair, though it felt like a breeze.

Tears welled up in her eye again and she bit back a sob and Sabo frowned, wishing he could see what they were seeing. Ace reached over to the blond and put his hand over his eyes before removing it. Sabo blinked a few times before his eyes widened when he could see Ace crouched in front of them with a grin.

Ace looked back to Tazz and chuckled a bit, "It gets a bit boring just roaming around here since Pops already moved on. Mind if I attach myself to you?" She smiled a bit and let out a laugh, "After all this time, do you really think I'd care?" He rubbed the back of his neck with a lopsided smile, "True."

He reached out and put his hand on her head as his smile softened before he dissipated like mist, but they could sense that he was still there. Raize looked up at Tazz, "That was Ace?" She smiled and nodded before wiping her eye, "Yeah."

Sabo stood after putting his hat back on and Raize got off of Tazz's lap so she could get up. She put her hat on and stood, touching the gravestone once more before they turned and walked back to the ship. They set sail back to Vartigo with high spirits.


	17. Dessert

Tazz, Sabo, and Raize returned to Vartigo around evening and went to the cafeteria for dinner. After getting their food, they sat down at their usual table and began eating as they chatted with Koala and Hack. Halfway through the meal, Raize looked up at Tazz with a hopeful expression, "Hey, mama? Is there any flan here?"

She looked down at him and smiled softly before nodding, "I believe so. We'll get some after dinner, so make sure to save some room for it." He grinned and resumed eating as Koala gaped at her, "'Mama'?!" She smiled and nodded before nudging Sabo with her elbow, "And Goldilocks here is 'papa'. I didn't mention it when I introduced Raize, but he's basically our adopted son."

Koala clasped her hands over her heart as she gushed over the three, "That's so adorable~!" Sabo blushed lightly and shoved food in his mouth so he wouldn't have to respond while Tazz chuckled. They went back to eating until they all finished and Tazz took her and Raize's plates before heading to the kitchen with the boy in tow.

He practically bounced around her with a wide smile, "Can I have some flan now? Please?" She chuckled and nodded, putting the plates away to be cleaned before heading to the fridge and opening it, "Of course, sweetie. I think I'll have some as well." She dug around before pulling out two containers of flan and handed one to Raize before getting a couple of spoons for the both of them.

She sat down on the floor and leaned against the cabinets with Raize next to her and put a spoonful of the rich substance in her mouth as he did the same. They smiled identical happy smiles and spoke at the same time, "So sweet!" They looked at each other before snickering with closed-eyed grins.

Sabo entered the kitchen with a smile and raised brow, "What're you two laughing about?" They looked at him before speaking in sync again, "Nothing~!" He chuckled softly and walked over before easing himself down to sit on Tazz's other side, "How's the flan?"

Raize grinned again and held his up like it was a jewel, "It's really good!" Tazz nodded in agreement and put another spoonful in her mouth, getting a little bit of the substance on the corner of it. A thought popped into Sabo's mind and he smirked a bit to himself before leaning towards her, "Really? I'll just have to try some myself."

His hand not supporting his weight reached up and gently took hold of her chin between his index finger and thumb before turning her head to look at him. She blinked at him as she just put another bite in her mouth before pulling the spoon from her lips. He leaned closer, eyes slipping shut, and licked the flan from the corner of her mouth before pressing his lips to hers.

Her eye widened and he used her surprise to slip his tongue inside, oddly daring comparing to his usually reserved manner, and slowly slid the dessert from her mouth to his before pulling away and licking his lips with a smile, "You're right. It's delicious." Raize had a look of distaste as he had witnessed what just happen and he stuck his tongue out, "Gross!" Sabo chuckled and sat back against the cabinets as he folded his legs and looked at Tazz to see the bright blush and astonished look on her face, "I didn't know you like sweets."

She snapped out of her daze and cleared her throat, "O-Oh, yeah. I have a big sweet tooth that developed after I set off from home. We didn't really get any sweets at Dadan's..." He hummed and turned to look up at the ceiling, "That's right. We mostly had meat there." She nodded and resumed eating her flan quietly.

Raize's eyes began to droop and he started swaying a bit when he was almost done eating his dessert and Tazz looked over at him and smiled softly, "You've had a busy day. Finish up your flan and we'll get you cleaned up before getting you in bed." He nodded slowly and ate the last bit of his dessert as she finished her own before disposing of the containers and cleaning the spoons. Sabo watched her as she scooped the boy up in one arm before holding her free hand out to him.

She pulled him to his feet and they started heading to her room. Sabo stopped at his door and put his hand on the knob, "While you get him cleaned up, I'll move his clothes to your room." She nodded and went inside before setting Raize on her bed and heading to the connected bathroom to draw a bath.

After filling the tub with hot water, she went back into her room and picked him up once more before taking him into the bathroom and setting him down next to the tub, "Go ahead and get undressed." She turned away to get a towel and let him have some privacy to strip down. She only turned around once she heard the slight splash of him getting into the tub and she took the towel and folded it before putting it on a stool.

She knelt down next to the tub and grabbed a washrag before dunking it in the water and lathering it with soap. She started washing Raize's arms and upper torso with the rag as his head nodded forward before he tried to give a small pout and glare, "I c'n wash m'self..." She chuckled and carefully tilted his head back to wet his hair, "I'm sure you can when you're not nearly passing out."

He just grumbled sleepily and tilted his head back as she started washing his hair. She lathered his hair and Sabo poked his head inside with a smile, "I got all his clothes put up in your dresser and closet." She smiled back and nodded before looking back at Raize, "Thanks."

He entered the bathroom with a small bundle of clothes in his arms and she noted that he was already in pajamas as he stood next to her, watching her rinse his hair after setting the clothes on the stool next to the towel. When she finished cleaning the boy, Sabo took the towel and lightly nudged her away from the tub, "Go get changed. I'll get him dried and dressed."

She smiled and stood, giving him a light peck on the cheek before she went into her room to change into a tank top and pajama pants. Right when she finished, Sabo walked in with a sleeping Raize in his arms and he walked over to the bed before putting the boy down, "He fell asleep while I was dressing him." She chuckled and got in bed, gently taking Raize in her arms before turning to face the room as Sabo went and turned the lights off before crawling in bed.

He put an arm over Tazz's waist and scooted a bit closer so that Raize was nestled snugly between them as he closed his eyes. After a moment, she spoke up after sighing contently, "You know, you should probably just move in here." He let out a sleepy hum and tucked his other arm under his pillow, "I might."

The two soon fell into a peaceful sleep throughout the night. When the morning light hit his eyes, Sabo groaned and raised an arm to shield them before he realized there was weight on top of him. He peeked on eye open to see Tazz laying on top of him with her arms slipped under his and her head tucked under his chin. He also noticed that Raize was sprawled out on her back and snoring rather loudly.

He smiled and sighed happily, perfectly content to just lay there with the two so close to him. He stared at the ceiling and thought about how quickly Raize was becoming one of the most important people in his life despite the short amount of time of knowing the boy. He felt his heart swell as he thought about his relationship with them before he felt Tazz move a bit, nuzzling his neck as she groaned quietly.

He smiled to himself and put a hand on the back of her neck before gently rubbing, "Morning, Sleeping Beauty." She smiled and hummed as she once more nuzzled her nose against his neck, "Morning, Goldilocks. I'm assuming the weight on my back is Raize?" He chuckled softly and nodded, "Yeah."

She raised up to her elbows, the boy on her back sliding down a bit, and smiled warmly at Sabo who returned the expression. He reached up and cupped her left right cheek and lightly ran his thumb over the scar going from her eye-patch down over her lips before brushing his thumb over her bottom lip as his eyes darted down to look at them. He met her gaze once more and gently guided her head down to his for a sweet kiss.

After breaking the kiss, they smiled at each other before Tazz shifted so that Raize slid onto the bed and she could get off of Sabo. The blond slid out of bed and stretched his arms over his head with a groan before ruffling his hair. Tazz yawned and stretched her arms in front of her as her back arched a bit, "Man, I slept good~!"

Sabo smiled at her and nodded in agreement, "Me too." She turned back to the bed and leaned down on one hand as she shook Raize's shoulder, "Time to get up, hun. Today you start learning fishman karate." The boy grumbled and rolled away, "Ten more minutes..."

She rolled her eye before she grabbed one of his ankles and lifted him up off the bed, making him yelp in surprise and flail his arms, "WHAT THE-?!" She stood and dropped him on the bed before putting her hands on her hips, "It'd probably be best if you get up when I tell you to." He grumbled and rubbed the back of his head as he sat up with a pout.

Sabo chuckled and started heading to his room to change for the day, "I'll meet you two at the cafeteria." Tazz nodded before turning and getting out her usual outfit before picking out something for Raize. She set his clothes on the bed next to him before going to the bathroom to change.

After changing, she went back into her room to see Raize dressed in his shorts and struggling to get his shirt on. She smiled and walked over before kneeling down and helping him pull it down. He blushed lightly and averted his gaze, pouting about needing help to get dressed.

She chuckled and rubbed the top of his head before standing and getting her boots and gloves. She put them on before using one foot to push a pair of new slipper-like shoes towards Raize, "Put these on. Your other ones were too worn down." After he slipped them on, she grabbed her hat and left the room with Raize trotting by her side and reaching up to grab her hand.

They walked down to the cafeteria and entered to see Sabo just now heading to get food. They went over and Tazz smiled as she got herself a few plates and one for Raize, "We didn't keep you waiting, did we?" He returned the smile and shook his head, "Not at all. I actually just got here not very long ago."

They piled food on their plates before going to their table and sitting down. Koala and Hack were already there as usual and the former greeted them cheerily, "If it isn't the cute little family~! Good morning!" Tazz and Sabo blushed lightly before returning the greeting, "Morning..."

Raize smiled and waved a hand, "Good morning, Miss Koala!" Tazz took a bite of her breakfast before getting an idea, "Hey! How about the three of us go on a walk around the compound?" Sabo smiled and nodded, "I think that'd be a good idea." Raize grinned and nodded quickly, "Yeah!"

Tazz chuckled and they all went back to eating with small chatter among them. After finishing their food, Tazz took her and Raize's plates as Sabo gathered his before they all went to the kitchen to put them aside. When that was done, they left the cafeteria and started their little stroll around the compound.

Raize moved to be between Tazz and Sabo and he took both of their hands with a wide smile as he swung their hands back and forth. The two looked down at him with soft smiled before looking at each other and giving closed-eyed smiles. They continued walking around with minimal talking, just enjoying the peace, until they got near the sparring area.

A thought popped into Raize's mind and he tugged on their hands, "Mama? Dad? Do you spar a lot?" Tazz and Sabo exchanged a glance before he tucked his chin in his hand, "Hmm. We don't spar often. We've only done it three times." The boy grinned and released Tazz's hand to point at the sparring circle, "Can you spar now? I wanna watch!"

She smiled and looked at the blond, "I'm fine with it if you are." He rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, "I guess it'd be okay." Raize cheered and ran over to the edge of the circle with the adults trailing after him. Tazz took her hat off and put it on Raize's head as Sabo took his own hat off as well as his coat before folding it up and setting it aside with his hat on top.

The two entered the sparring circle and Raize plopped down with his legs criss-crossed, watching eagerly as they got in fighting positions. After a tense moment, Sabo moved first and lunged at her. He swung his leg back towards her head and she raised her forearm to block it before she aimed a punch at his exposed gut.

He caught her fist and brought his knee up to try to nail her right side, which was effectively blocked by her own knee. They continued exchanging blows for a good while before Tazz swiped Sabo's legs out from under him as she pushed his chest, knocking him down flat on his back. He was stunned for a moment since he was winded before he grabbed her nearest ankle and yanked it so that she fell to the ground.

She yelped before growling a bit and tackling Sabo as he tried to sit up. They tumbled around for a bit before he ended up on top, his hips snug against the backs of her thighs as he pinned her wrists above her head. They panted heavily as they stared at each other, an odd atmosphere falling over them before they looked to the side when they heard clapping.

Koala was sitting next to Raize as they both clapped, the latter pumping his fists in the air with a wide grin, "That was awesome!" Koala giggled and quickly noticed the tension between the two and she looked at the boy next to her, "Hey! How about you hang out with me for a while? I'll show you some good spots to hide from work!" His grin widened and jumped up excitedly, "Yeah!"

Koala giggled again and stood before patting her rump off and looking at her friends, "I'll watch him for a while." She shot them a knowing grin and wink before taking Raize's hand and walking off. After they disappeared from sight, Tazz and Sabo looked back to each other before the blond scrambled off of her so they could get up.

Once Tazz was up, she was suddenly slung over a shoulder before whoever walked a bit and knelt down to pick something up. She looked to the side to see Sabo's blond hair as he put his hat back on and tucked his folded coat under his arm. She blushed when she felt his hand lightly squeeze her left thigh and turned her gaze downward.

Sabo quickly walked to her room, making sure to avoid running in to anybody, before swiftly entering the room and locking the door. He went over to the bed and set her on it before taking his hat off and setting it aside as he met her gaze, his own having darkened a bit and became heated. He put his hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her back as he hovered over her.

He slid his hand to her cheek and rubbed it with his thumb as he leaned down and lightly brushed his lips over hers before pressing them together more insistently. After a moment, he pulled away and slipped his hand into her hair at the back of her head as his eyes became half-lidded. His expression turned somewhat hesitant and he put his weight on his other arm by her shoulder, "Before we go any further, are you okay with this? I don't want to rush you if you aren't ready..."


	18. Love

Tazz smiled softly, touched by his concern, and cupped his cheek as she nodded, "I want this, Sabo." He returned the smile and pressed his cheek into her palm before leaning back down to kiss her again as their eyes slid shut. He brushed his tongue over her lower lip and waited for her to part them before he slipped it inside.

She moved her hand from his cheek to the back of his neck as her other slid over his shoulder and he pressed his body against hers. He took his hand from her hair and put it on her hip, lightly squeezing before he slid his arm under her lower back and pressed her lower body against his. The kiss went from slow and sensual to heated and intense in a matter of seconds.

Sabo broke the kiss and put his forehead against hers as they panted lightly. He moved off of her so they could both start getting undressed. He tried to keep his composure as he took off his clothes, hands shaking from how hard he was restraining himself from just ripping them off.

Tazz sat up and pulled her shirt up over her head before tossing it aside and taking off her belt. She wiggled her pants down her legs before kicking them off along with her boots. Once they were both totally nude, they took a moment to look at each other's bodies, the blond not yet noticing that she had a long, thin black tail tufted with orange fur at the end.

She blinked in slight surprise at the burn scars that covered Sabo's left shoulder and seemed to wrap around to spread along the left side of his upper back along with his side. She raised her right hand and lightly traced along the part that was closest to his neck as he did the same to the gnarly scar on her abdomen. After examining each other, Sabo crawled closer and leaned forward, once more guiding her to her back as he initiated another kiss.

His hands slid up and down her sides before slipping down to her thighs, lightly squeezing her left one, before pulling them up to hold them against his waist and she could feel his hardening member press against her. He broke the kiss and trailed his lips down to her throat before lightly nipping the skin there. He brushed his lips over to her right shoulder and kissed the skin before lightly biting down, drawing a sharp gasp from her as she arched against him.

He moved his hands to her waist before sliding them down to cup her ass and press her closer to him as he lightly rutted against her. He groaned softly against her shoulder and kissed his way across to the left side of her neck before grazing his teeth against the skin. She shuddered and grasped at his upper back, the nails of her right hand lightly scratching part of his scar.

He gasped softly and shivered as he bucked his hips. He panted against her neck and nuzzled it as he moved one hand to the apex of her thighs and he slipped a finger through her folds, circling her clit before heading down to her entrance. She moaned softly and the fingers of her right hand threaded into his hair as she shifted her hips eagerly.

He smiled a bit and slipped his finger inside her as he moved his other arm to rest by her shoulder. She bit her lip to stifle a moan and he bit her neck to get her to release it, "Please don't deny me your sounds." She shivered at his husky tone and tilted her head back as the fingertips of her left hand dug into his upper back, "B-But what if someone hears us...?"

He brushed his lips against her ear, "Let them." Right after saying that, he eased a second finger into her and started pumping them in and out with his thumb rubbing her bud. She arched against him and let out a high moan as her eye was clenched shut.

He groaned softly in satisfaction at hearing her lovely voice and he attached his lips to a point just behind her ear before lightly sucking. After a few moments, he pulled back from her and withdrew his fingers to look at the slick covering them. He spread the digits as he examined the fluid with fascination, making Tazz blush and wave her hand at him, "D-Don't do that!"

He chuckled softly and put a hand by her head as he leaned back over her, slipping the fingers into his mouth to clean them and making her blush much brighter before she covered her face with her hands. He smiled and gently pried her hands away from her face to give her a sweet kiss before he pulled away a bit to give her a rather serious look, "Are you sure you want to keep going? It isn't too late to back out..."

She sighed softly and gave him a warm smile as she turned her hands to hold his, "I'm sure. I love you, Sabo." His eyes widened and his heart swelled at her words and he smiled back as he pecked her lips again, "I love you, too." He released her hands and placed them on his shoulders, "If it hurts too much, let me know and I'll stop right away."

She smiled and rolled her eye, "Sabo, I've had my arm and leg severed. This'll be nothing." He lightly pinches her side for the remark before he looked down as he gathered her slick on his member. He gulped a bit nervously as he positioned his tip at her entrance before he began pushing passed her folds.

Once he reached her barrier, she lightly squeezed his shoulders and took a deep breath as he pressed his lips to her temple. He quickly thrust in the rest of the way so that the pain wasn't prolonged and she whimpered softly as she grasped at his back. He began littering her face in kisses as he whispered sweet words of reassurance, trying to distract her from her discomfort until she adjusted.

After a moment, she let out a shaky breath and gave a short nod, "Y-You can move now..." He nodded back and slowly pulled out, biting his lower lip to keep back a a groan before he carefully pushed back in. Tazz arched her back and let out a low moan as she tilted her head back and Sabo took the chance to kiss up and down her neck, occasionally biting.

The sound of her moan encouraged him and he started going a bit faster as he repeated his movements. He gave a shuddering groan against her neck as he pulled her left arm away from him before sliding his hand into hers, lacing their fingers together as he gently held it by her head. He gradually increased the pace of his thrusts, though he was constantly gentle to her.

She continued to let out high-pitched, breathy moans and she squeezed his hand as her free one grasped at his upper back, "Ah~! Sabo~!" The sound of his name spilling from her lips hit something within him and he growled a bit, roughly biting down on the crook of her neck as he upped the intensity. She nearly squealed at the pleasure and arched against him, fingertips digging into the taut muscle of his back, "Sabo!"

He groaned against her skin and pulled away, releasing her hand to grasp the backs of both of her thighs to push them up and apart as he opened his eyes halfway to look down at her face that had a downright lewd expression on it. Her brows were knitted, cheeks flushed, mouth agape with some drool dribbling down her chin, and she had small tears of pleasure pricking the corner of her eye and the sight made him thrust a bit harder. The sounds coming from her throat along with slightly garbled moans of his name sent shivers down his back.

Abruptly, Tazz's back arched off the bed as she fisted the sheets with a loud moan, having suddenly reached her first climax. She panted heavily and Sabo quickly pulled out from her before turning her around and tugged her up against his chest. He held them up with a hand on the wall that the bed was pushed up against and had his other arm was wrapped around her waist to keep her there, not realizing something furry wriggling against his abdomen.

He entered her again and resumed his previous pace as he buried his face in the crook of her neck and bit lightly. She went back to moaning as she reached back with one hand to grasp some of his blond locks while her other hand grabbed the forearm around her waist. He roughly bucked against her, but the sound of skin slapping against skin was barely covered up by her moaning.

He grunted and dragged his tongue along her neck as his brows furrowed, trying to concentrate on maintaining his intensity as well as trying to get her to another peak. It didn't take long for her to reach her second orgasm and she moaned, her walls tightening around his member and in turn dragging him to his own end. His hips stuttered against her as he spilled inside before slowing to a stop.

Afterwards, Tazz sagged against him as they both panted like they were just running a marathon while Sabo eased them down to the bed, still inside her. He opened his eyes and saw the marks littering her neck and shoulders and he was hit by guilt, "D-Damn it! I'm sorry, Tazz... I didn't mean to get so rough..." She chuckled breathlessly and shook her head as she took the hand still on her abdomen and laced their fingers together, "It's fine. I'm not exactly complaining."

He slowly pulled out and hugged her tightly against him burying his face in her hair. She smiled and rubbed his forearm as she gave a content sigh. He felt his eyelids begin to get heavy and he frowned a bit with a small groan, not wanting to fall asleep just yet.

She closed her eye and began humming softly, knowing that Sabo was on the verge of passing out. She felt his hold on her loosen a fraction and heard his breathing even out. She soon followed after as the exhaustion took over.

They slept restfully for a few hours before Sabo stirred around noon. He groaned softly and hugged Tazz tighter as their legs were tangled together. He took a deep breath, inhaling her constant vanilla scent, before reluctantly prying his eyes open to look at the back of her head.

His eyes widened when he recalled the previous events and he blushed brightly before tensing when she turned around to drape an arm over his waist. He swallowed thickly and watched her face as she began to wake up, her brows furrowing before her eye slowly opened. She looked up at him and smiled, "Hey."

He cleared his throat a bit awkwardly and smiled back, though it was a bit shy, "H-Hi..." After a silence, he pursed his lips and averted his gaze, "You... You don't regret it, do you...?" She smiled softly and leaned closer to give him a warm kiss, "Not at all."

He let out a sigh and visibly relaxed as he nuzzled the top of her head, "Thank goodness..." She chuckled softly and rubbed his back, "Were you that worried about it?" His blush was hidden in her hair and he nodded.

Suddenly, a flash of heat went through her and she frowned, realizing what was going to happen soon. She carefully wiggled away from Sabo and was met with a confused look from the blond, "Is something wrong?" She gave a smile and rubbed the back of her neck, "N-Not at all. I just got a little too warm..."

His brows knitted in concern and he cupped her cheek, "Are you sure you're alright? You're never 'too warm'..." She watched him for a moment before nodding with a reassuring nod, "Yeah. I'm fine." She turned onto her back and fanned her face with her hand, trying to cool down a bit as the blond frowned a bit, still concerned but not wanting to push the issue.

He sat up and stretched before getting out of bed. Upon remembering that he was buck-naked, he quickly yanked his blue boxers on as he blushed. Tazz sat up and pushed the covers away from her before getting up and walking to the bathroom with a slight limp, not quite as bashful about being nude as Sabo. He watched her back as she walked, the limp not escaping his attention and making him feel equally proud and guilty at having been the cause of it before he finally noticed something swaying behind her.

She came back after having cleaned up a bit and was wiped the back of her neck with a cold, wet cloth as she grumbled about the heat. She started pulling some clothes from her closet, "As much as I'd like to just lay around all day, we can't since we actually have duties to attend to." Sabo snapped from his wide-eyed daze nodded in agreement before he began getting dressed, occasionally glancing at Tazz's back and tail as he did so.

She put on a black, cropped version of her usual shirt over it along with a pair of black, knee-length shorts after wrapping her tail around her left thigh. He finished putting his clothes back on and rubbed the back of his neck, "So.... You have a tail? I thought it only appeared when you're in your fighting form." She looked back at him and blinked before realizing what he was talking about, "Yeah. I always keep it wrapped around my legs to keep it out of the way."

He let out a hum before clearing his throat and putting his hat on as he gestured to the door, "Shall we go get some lunch?" She smiled and nodded, slipping her boots on and walking over. As she passed him, she leaned up and pressed a quick kiss to his lips before going to the door and opening it.

He blushed lightly and smiled contently to himself before following after her. As they walked down to the cafeteria, Sabo glanced at Tazz's hand before gently taking it and twining their fingers together.

They soon arrived and went in to see that Raize was already there with Koala and Hack. The two got their food before heading to the table and sitting down across from the others. Koala grinned mischievously and leaned forward, "I hope you two had fun~!"

They nearly choked on their food and blushed brightly. Tazz was very grateful that the collar of her shirt went over halfway on her neck, hiding the marks that Sabo left, and she cleared her throat before resuming eating, deciding to ignore the other woman's teasing. Sabo gave the woman a light glare as he calmed his blush before he turned to Raize, "What did you do this morning?"

The boy grinned and bounced a bit in his seat, "We went around the town and played a lot! It was really fun!" Tazz smiled and reached over to pat his head, "It's good that you enjoyed yourself." His grin widened and he looked at Koala, "I want to hang out with Aunt Koala more!"

Tazz thought of something and she nodded, "If she doesn't mind." She turned to the smaller woman, "Do you think you could watch him for the rest of the day? I've got some stuff to take care of later." She blinked before smiling with a nod, "Sure. I don't mind at all."

Sabo looked at Tazz with a worried and curious gaze, but didn't say anything as he went back to eating. After eating with some pleasant small talk, Tazz got her plates and took them to the kitchen with Sabo following after. They left the cafeteria and Sabo gently took her hand, "What do you have to take care of?"

She lightly squeezed his hand and gave him a small smile, "I'm just gonna handle any paperwork I may have missed yesterday and see if my old man has anything else for me to take care of." He accepted her answer and nodded as he turned his gaze back ahead. He released her hand when they reached her office and leaned down to kiss her forehead, "I'll stop by in a bit to check on you, okay?"

She rolled her eye and smiled, "Alright. Love you." He blushed lightly and smiled widely, "I love you, too." After that, she entered her office and shut the door behind her before heading over to her desk.

She sat down with a sigh and rubbed a hand over her face, feeling guilty about lying to him about why she was going to be cooped up all day. For the next few hours until the sun began to set, she distracted her by writing music or making origami creatures. After the sun dipped below the horizon, Sabo popped his head in with an apologetic smile, "Sorry for taking so long. I got tied up wi-"

He cut himself off as his eyes widened at the sight in the room. Tazz was kneeling next to one of the large windows and grasping her stomach and throat as she growled hoarsely. Sabo dashed inside and knelt down by her side with worry clear on his face, "Tazz! What's going on?!"


	19. Secret

Tazz's head whipped up to look at him and Sabo flinched at the slightly feral look in her eye, her pupil having become a slit. She furrowed her brows and started backing away, "Please... leave, Sabo..." He frowned and reached towards her as she grasped her throat again and gave a cry of pain, "Tazz..."

She hunched over with her arms wrapped around herself until her forehead touched the ground and she whimpered, her arms seeming to change into their fighting form on their own and the claws dug into her back, instantly drawing blood. She let out a growl-like groan and her claws began slowly ripping through her skin as her tail slipped out from her pants and lashed around. He gasped and quickly yanked her arms away from her and he held her hands, "Tazz, please tell me what's wrong."

She panted lightly and turned her head a bit to look at the window, "Close the curtains..." He looked at the window and just noticed the red moonlight spilling through. He released her hands and jumped up before yanking the thick curtains closed on all the windows until the only source of light came from a candle on her desk.

He went back to her and relaxed a bit since she didn't seem to be in as much agony as she just was. Sabo put his hands on her shoulders and eased her to sit up, "Tazz..." She changed her arms back to normal and put a hand to her throat as she glared at the ground, "It... It's because of my devil fruit. Every blood moon, it makes me extremely thirsty for... blood. No matter what, I refuse to drink any. I-I don't want to be a monster!" Tears pricked her eye as she lowered her head while Sabo silently watched her.

After a moment of letting it sink in, he lightly squeezed her shoulder before pulling her to straddle his lap as he hugged her, "Oh, Tazz. You're not a monster. A monster wouldn't be such a loving mother like you are." He gently stroked her hair as he stared at the distant wall, "This didn't happen when we were kids... When did it start?" She tensed a bit before somewhat relaxing against him, "After we thought you died..."

He went quiet and pressed his lips to the side of her head, "Will it make it stop if you drink blood?" She nodded and hugged him tightly, burying her face in the crook of his neck, "I don't want to..." He sighed softly and gently moved her away enough so he could take her chin and make her look at him, "Tazz, please. I can't stand seeing you in agony like this..."

She bit her lower lip before turning her head away. Sabo frowned and started shrugging his coat off before removing his cravat with one hand. He held her to him and stood before walking over to her desk and setting her on top of it and unbuttoning the first few buttons of his shirt.

She swallowed thickly and watched him warily, "W-What are you doing?" He tugged the collar of his shirt aside and pressed himself against her as he gently guided her head to his neck, "I'm going to help you through this, whether you want it or not." She weakly tried to push away, but the smell of him was becoming too hard to ignore, "N-No..."

He wrapped his other arm around her, not caring about the blood from her back soaking into his sleeve as he rubbed the back of her neck, "Please, Tazz." She bit her lip before letting out a sigh, unable to further refuse his pleading tone and she reluctantly wrapping her arms around his torso as she pressed her lips to the crook of his neck. After another moment of hesitation, she opened her mouth and bit down, her sharp teeth easily breaking his skin to allow his blood to pour into her mouth.

The initial pain made him wince, but he quickly got over it and rubbed her back comfortingly. The ache morphed into something else and he tried to ignore the rather pleasant sensation of her sucking on his neck. When she had her fill, she pulled away a bit and dragged the flat of her tongue over the wound, staunching the bleeding and getting it to heal up.

He pulled back and cupped her cheeks as his eyes darted over her face, seeing that her pupil had gone back to normal, "Are you alright now? Do you need anything else?" She shook her head and averted her gaze, still ashamed at what just happened, "No..." He wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth with his thumb before giving her a kiss, "Please don't hesitate to inform me when that happens again."

She nodded a bit and looked at the faint mark that was left from her bite and she lightly traced her fingertips over it. Sabo shivered slightly and tilted her head up again so he could kiss her more. He whispered softly in between kisses as he slowly guided her to her back on the large desk, "You... are not... a... monster... I love you... even... with... your flaws..."

As her eye slid shut, a tear slipped from it and rolled down her cheek before it was wiped away by his thumb. She kissed back and slid her hands into his hair as he pressed himself against her and she could feel something stirring in his pants. He pulled away from the kiss with an embarrassed blush, but didn't seem to want to stop, "S-Sorry..."

She panted lightly and shook her head, "It's fine. I could use a distraction anyway..." He smiled softly and kissed her lovingly once more, his fingers carding through her hair at the sides of her head as he deepened the kiss. He slid one hand down to the bottom of her cropped shirt and slipped it under before going up with a feather-light touch until his fingertips found the bottom of her breast.

He cupped the fleshy mound and rolled it in his palm, brushing his thumb over the nipple. She whimpered softly into the kiss and slightly arched her back to press her chest further against his hand. After groping her breast for another moment, his hand continued its path upward and pushed her shirt up until her chest was fully uncovered.

He started kissing his way down her throat before moving over her bunched up shirt. He kissed the valley of her breasts as his hands slid down to unbuckle her belt and slowly pull her shorts and underwear down. She covered her mouth with a hand to hold back a small moan as he kissed his way over a breast and wrapped his lips around the pert nipple.

He lightly sucked on it before rolling it with his tongue as he finished pulling her shorts and panties passed her knees so they could fall to the floor. He gently took hold of her thighs and spread them enough so he could fit snugly between before he moved one hand back up to tend to the unoccupied breast. She stifled a moan and slightly bucked her hips against his before moving her hand and looking down at him, "S-Sabo... please don't tease me..."

He glanced up at her before releasing her nipple with a wet pop and giving her an honest-to-god smirk rather than his usual sweet smile, "As you wish." The smirk made sent another wave of arousal to her core as he straightened up to unbuckle and unzip his pants. After shoving them along with his boxers down enough to let his member spring free, he took off his waistcoat and unbuttoned his shirt the rest of the way to expose his lithe yet muscular torso.

Afterwards, he put a hand on the desk by her head as he positioned himself with the other and looked down at her with a soft smile, "Are you ready?" She put her hands on his upper arms and nodded, "Yeah." He nodded back and pushed inside her, going slower than he did earlier as not to make her any more sore than she had been.

Once he was in to the hilt, he paused and searched her face for any sign of discomfort. Upon finding none, he slowly pulled out before pushing back in and he let out a small groan. Tazz moaned softly and arched her back off the desk as she gripped his biceps.

He moved his hands to the backs of her thighs and pushed them up and apart as he picked up the pace a bit with short thrusts. He closed his eyes to focus on getting them both off quickly, not wanting to get caught in the act since the door was unlocked. Tazz covered her mouth with the back of her hand to stifle her moans as she squeezed her eye shut, her other hand reaching up to grip the edge of the desk tightly and gave a muffled moan of his name.

He grunted softly and put one of her legs of his shoulder and slid the arm that was holding it around so he could rub her clit with his thumb. Her back arched and she gasped as she bucked her hips before letting out a low moan. Sabo panted lightly and increased his efforts in both thrusting and massaging her bud as his fingers lightly brushed over the junction of her upper thigh and lower abdomen.

Though the move hadn't been intentional, the slight tightening of her walls around him let him know that it was a good one and assumed that he found a sensitive spot. He leaned down with her leg still over his shoulder and kissed the exposed parts of her neck before nibbling. He moved lower before sinking his teeth into her shoulder, hands too busy to move aside her shirt to get to the skin, as he roughly bucked against her.

Her breath hitched and she pressed her hand harder against her mouth as she quickly reached her release. Her walls spasming around him sent him to his own climax and his hips slowed to a stop before pressing flush against her as he spurted inside. They both panted heavily and he released her leg and thigh so he could practically lay on top of her as he pecked her lips repeatedly.

After catching his breath, he straightened up and pulled out, using his hand to catch any spilled seed before looking around for any tissues. Tazz put her forearm over her face and used her other hand to point down, "Second drawer on the right." Sabo mumbled a soft 'thank you' and opened the drawer with his free hand before pulling out a couple of tissues.

He cleaned her up decently before he focused on cleaning himself up. He tossed the used tissues in the wastebasket under her desk before quickly fixing his clothes and then helped Tazz to her feet after correcting her shirt. When she wobbled a bit, he steadied her and gave her a concerned look, "Are you alright? It wasn't too much, was it?"

She smiled softly and shook her head, lightly patting his cheek before bending down to put on her pants and underwear after wrapping her tail back around her leg. Sabo watched her for a moment before suddenly picking her up and blowing out the candle. She let out a small squeak and he started walking to the door of her office and she blushed lightly, "There's probably blood on my desk and the floor..."

He smiled and exited the room before heading towards her room, "I'll clean it up tomorrow." She sighed softly and leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. Sabo gently rubbed her side as he walked, "We'll get you cleaned up and then in bed."

She nodded and sighed contently, actually enjoying being carried around by him but not wanting to admit it. He found that he really liked the feeling of holding her in his arms and he subtly held her closer as his smile widened a bit. They reached her room and he managed to get her door open before entering and shutting the door with his foot.

He walked into the bathroom and sat her on the edge of the tub before turning the hot water on and stripped off his clothes before helping her stand so she could do the same as the tub filled up. After the tub was filled, he was the first inside before he guided her in and settled her in between his legs with her back against his chest after she tossed her eye-patch aside. She relaxed against him as he gently rubbed her sides and nuzzled the top of her head with a smile.

He closed his eyes and sighed happily, perfectly content to just relax there with her held against him. She let her eye slip shut and she put her hands over his as he wrapped his arms around her, "Sabo... I truly do love you." He hugged her a bit tighter and kissed the top of her head, "I love you too, Tazz. You make me incredibly happy."

She smiled and leaned her head back against his shoulder, "I could say the same." The door creaked open, making the look over with wide eyes to see Raize sheepishly peeking in, "Can I take a bath with you too?" She thought for a moment before sighing softly and raising a hand to rub the back of her neck, unable to resist the boy's puppy-dog eyes, "I guess there's no harm in it..."

He grinned widely before entering and stripping off his clothes before practically jumping into the tub, splashing the other two with the water as he laughed happily. Tazz gave an exasperated sigh as Sabo chuckled, not at all displeased by the situation. Tazz dunked Raize under the water before she started lathering his hair as Sabo began to wash her hair for her.

They fell into a pleasant silence as they cleaned up. After getting done washing Raize, she lifted him out of the tub and set him on the floor, "Now go dry off and put your pajamas on. We'll be out in a bit." The boy nodded and ran out of the bathroom, still butt-naked, and grabbed a towel on his way out.

Sabo chuckled and turned around before leaning back enough to get his hair wet before sitting up so Tazz could wash his hair, "He's just like we were when we were little." She smiled as she lathered his hair and nodded, "Yeah. Though I wouldn't do it as much as you, Ace, or Luffy, I can't deny that I did run around in my birthday suit after bathing. Oh, I remember how badly it got on Dadan's nerves." He nodded as well and closed his eyes to focus on the feeling of her fingers running through his hair, "Yeah. You know, I guess it's because I never paid attention or cared, but I never realized you had a tail when we were young."

She let her tail brush against his leg under the water, "It was pretty short when I was little, so there's a chance that you just couldn't see it since I wore baggy clothes. Ace and Luffy only fully realized I had one when we were all 15, 13, and 12 because it suddenly grew a lot longer. Now it's longer than I am tall." He hummed and tilted his head back with a pleased smile, "Is that so?"

She nodded and leaned him back to rinse his hair before she started lathering the orange poof on the end of her tail, "I always keep it hidden to keep it out of the way and so that nobody tries to grab it." He blinked and turned to face her with a curious expression, "Does it hurt when it's touched?" She shook her head and swirled her tail in the water, "Nah. It's just.... sensitive to being touched."

He let out another hum before standing and stepping out of the tub with her doing the same, albeit more slowly since she was a bit sore from their activities. He got them a couple of towels and handed one to her before wrapping his around his waist. She quickly dried off before putting the towel on her head as Sabo went to the door, "I'll go get your pajamas."

She sat on the stool that was in the bathroom and started drying her hair. After a few minutes, Sabo returns dressed in his pajamas with his towel on his head and her pajamas in his hands as he smiled, "Raize is already passed out on the bed." He handed her pajamas to her and rubbed at his hair.

She smiled and put them on before towel aside and shaking her head, "He's had a pretty long day. Did Koala get him start in his fishman karate training?" Sabo nodded and tossed his towel aside before walking into the bedroom with Tazz right behind him. She smiled at the sight of the sleeping boy sprawled on the bed, drooling as he snored loudly and his snot bubble expanded and contracted with each breath, "Yeah. Just like us..."

She picked the boy up and slid onto the bed before putting him on her stomach and chest, him instantly clinging to her as he remained asleep. Sabo turned the lights off before getting in bed next to her. He cuddled up to her side and put an arm over her and Raize as he closed his eyes, both he and Tazz falling asleep rather quickly.


	20. A New Mission

Three weeks later, Tazz woke up and instantly knew that something was different. She sat up and furrowed her brows as she tried to figure out what was off and Raize, who had been laying horizontally on her stomach, flopped onto her lap. She glanced next to her to see that Sabo was still sleeping peacefully, a relaxed look on his face as he dreamed about who knows what.

She smiled to herself and gently ran her fingers through his hair before gently cupping his left cheek and rubbing it with her thumb. His brows furrowed a bit as he began to stir before his eyes slowly opened. He nuzzled against her hand and looked at her with a barely-awake smile, "Morning."

She smiled warmly and leaned down to press her lips to his forehead, "Morning, Sunshine. Sorry if I woke you." He wrapped his arms around her and tugged her partially onto his chest, "You didn't. I was about to wake up anyway." She continued smiling as she observed his face, his golden hair glowing almost like a halo in the morning sunlight and she gently brush some of his bangs away from his face, "You know, you look like an angel when you're in this kind of light. It's beautiful."

He blushed and pouted a bit at her, "I should be the one calling you beautiful..." She chuckled softly and lightly pecked his lips, "But I'm telling the truth. I don't think I could ever get tired of seeing you like this." He smiled and put a hand on her right cheek, his thumb lightly trailing over her scar before they both leaned closer for a loving kiss.

A little foot smacking into her left cheek abruptly ended the moment and she deadpanned as the sleeping boy continued pressing his foot against her face. Sabo nearly snorted at the scene and he was trying, and failing, to not grin at the irritated look on her face. She grabbed Raize's ankle and pulled his foot away from her face as a tick-mark appeared on her forehead.

Sabo lightly rubbed her cheek to get her attention back on him before he gently pulled her in for a kiss, his eyes slipping shut as he tilted his head. Her eye closed and she put her free hand on his cheek before they parted and smiled at each other. She remembered something and moved Raize away before crawling over Sabo to get out of bed as he propped himself up on his elbows to watch her, "Are you going somewhere?"

She gave him a smile before she started getting dressed in her usual outfit, "I'm just going to go check on something. I should be back soon if you want to rest some more." He watched her walk back over to the bed after she finished dressing and she leaned down to give him a peck on the lips before she turned and started heading to the door. After she left, he laid back down and turned over just as Raize cuddled up to him, making him smile and put an arm around the boy as he closed his eyes.

Tazz headed to the infirmary to check something with the doctor. When she got back to her room, Sabo was waking up again and he sat up while rubbing his eyes. He looked at the door when it opened and quickly caught her anxious expression, "Is everything alright?"

She smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eye, and nodded as she walked over to the window to look out, "Yeah. Everything's fine." He frowned a bit, knowing that something was up. He stood and walked up behind her before wrapping his arms around her, "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

She nodded and put her hands on his forearms as she leaned against his chest, tilting her head to kiss his cheek, "Of course. I'll be sure to let you know if there's ever anything wrong." He smiled softly and nuzzled her temple as he hugged her a bit tighter. They looked back at the bed as they heard rustling and saw Raize sleepily sit up with a look that implied that he wasn't even coherent yet.

They smiled and Sabo released Tazz so he could get dressed for the day, "By they way, while you were busy yesterday, I moved my stuff in here so we're roommates now." She chuckled and looked back out the window for a moment before heading over to Raize and ruffling his hair, "Good morning, hun. Let's get you dressed." The boy just nodded slowly once he comprehended what she was saying and he scooted to the edge of the bed before hopping off, wobbling a bit when he landed on his feet.

Tazz chuckled softly and steadied him before going to the closet to get him some clothes. She glanced at Sabo's clothing now occupying the free space in her closet before she started sifting through Raize's to pick an icy blue sleeveless shirt with the word 'honesty' on it. She nearly snorted at the irony of picking that shirt before she got him a pair of shorts as well.

She sat the clothes on the bed and put her hand on the top of the boy's head, "You awake enough to get dressed by yourself?" He mumbled gibberish and she chuckled before crouching down in front of him and taking his face in her hands. He stared at her with confusion before his eyes widened when she kissed his forehead, the move instantly snapping him from his half-asleep state and he blushed brightly.

She moved back to see that he was now fully awake and she smiled as she squished his cheeks together, "That's better." She stood up and stretched her arms above her head with a small groan. Sabo finished dressing and smiled over at her, "I don't know what was on your mind earlier, but I'm glad that you're happy now."

She returned the smile and stepped over to peck his lips sweetly, "Sorry if I worried you." His smile softened to a loving one as he cupped her cheek, "Just remember that you can tell me anything." She nodded and he leaned forward to give her a smooch as Raize made fake gagging noises off to the side.

A knock to their door made them all look over before Sabo let his hand drop and he walked over to open it. On the other side was Koala who had a bright smile on her face, "Good morning! I just wanted to let you know that Dragon-san is going to be holding a meeting after breakfast and you two should be there." Sabo nodded and glanced over his shoulder at Tazz, who was holding Raize's arms above his head to stretch him out a bit, "You catch that."

She nodded and waved Raize's arms up and down, "Yeah. We'll be there." Koala giggled and nodded before turning away a bit, "Alrighty. See you at the cafeteria!" She waved before walking down the hall until she was out of sight.

Tazz dropped the boy's arms and nudged his shoes to him with her foot and she went to the door, grabbing her hat as she went. She stood next to Sabo as they waited for Raize before they left the room and started down the hall. Raize quickly moved to walk between Tazz and Sabo before he grabbed their hands and swung them back and forth as they smiled down at him.

When they got to the cafeteria, Raize let go of their hands to trot over to their table were Koala and Hack were already seated as the other two went to get some food. Sabo noticed that Tazz had gotten more than she usually did and blinked but didn't say anything about it. They walked over to their table and sat down as she slid Raize's plate over to him before they all started eating.

Tazz popped a forkful of food in her mouth as she looked at Koala, "What do you think the meeting is going to be about?" The mousy girl hummed as she tapped a finger against her chin, "I'm not sure. I think there's about to be a big mission." Sabo glanced at Raize as the boy stuffed his face with his fluffy pancakes, "Let's hope it doesn't take long."

Tazz nodded in agreement and they began chatting idly as they ate. After eating and putting their plates with the dirty dishes, Tazz put her hand on Raize's head and smiled down at him, "How about you go get to know the other kids learning fishman karate? You should make some friends." He nodded and hugged her leg as he smiled up at her, "Okay, mama."

He then ran off with a wave and Koala smiled as she looked at the taller woman, "You really do seem like a lovely family." Tazz smiled and nodded a bit before remembering something, a slightly worried look coming to her face. Koala blinked and put a hand on her arm, "Are you okay?"

Tazz nodded and forced a smile, "Yeah. Let's go to the meeting." She walked ahead and Sabo and Koala shared a concerned glance before the latter whispered, "Do you know if something's up?" Sabo sighed softly and shook his head, "She was like that earlier but said everything was fine when I asked... I don't want to push her on the matter. Whatever it is, she'll tell me when she's ready."

Sabo caught up to Tazz and gently took her hand, giving it a light squeeze as he smiled at her. She returned the smile and squeeze before lacing their fingers together as they continued walking to the meeting room with Koala and Hack walking after them. Sabo opened the door for her before entering after and going over to his chosen seat to the right of the large chair at the head of the long table.

Tazz sat next to him and and took his hand, holding it between both of hers as she rested them on her lap and watched a handful of others file in before taking their seats. The last to enter was Dragon and he shut the the door behind him as he walked in. He went to the large seat and sat down before leaning forward with his folded hands on the table, "To get straight to the point, there has been something strange happening with weapon trades in Dressrosa. I'm sending you to go investigate."

Tazz frowned a bit and squeezed Sabo's hand as she looked at him and spoke softly, "What about Raize?" Sabo opened his mouth to speak when Dragon interrupted him, "If you are concerned about the boy, I will look after him for the time being." Everybody looked at him with shocked faces, surprised by Dragon offering to look after a kid.

Tazz smiled a bit and nodded, "Alright. It could be a chance to bond with your grandson." Dragon cleared his throat before nodding slightly, "Anyway, you all are to depart at noon. That is all." Everyone stood up and started shuffling out the door while Tazz hung back to talk to her father, "Thanks for looking after Raize, dad. I think you'll like him."

He nodded a bit and followed the other two out of the room and out to where the children were being taught karate. They stood off to the side and watched until the training ended a little before noon. Right after it was finished, Raize spotted the three and ran over with a wide smile before hugging Tazz's leg, "Mama! Did you see me? Did I look cool?"

She knelt down in front of him and put her hand on his head as she smiled, "You looked awesome, hun." Raize grinned and hugged her before he noticed the extra person and peered up at him. Tazz looked to where the boy was staring and she rubbed his head, "Dad and I have to go on a mission, so your grandpa is going to watch you in the meantime."

Raize pouted and hugged her tighter, "I wanna go with you!" She frowned a bit and hugged him back, "I know, baby, but it's very dangerous. I don't want you getting hurt." He continued pouting before letting his head and shoulders droop down, "Okay..."

She rubbed his back before leaning away and tilting his head up as she smiled while holding out the pinkie of her other hand, "How about this: if you're good for your grandpa, when we get back, we all can go somewhere and hang out for the whole day. Deal?" The boy seemed to mull it over before grinning and hooking his pinkie with hers as he nodded, "Deal!" After releasing his pinkie, she hugged him once more before standing, "I promise that we'll be back soon."

Raize nodded and he and Dragon watched the other two walk off to go get ready. When they were out of sight, Dragon looked down at the boy just as he looked back. There was an awkward silence before Raize grinned, "You look cool!"

Tazz and Sabo went to her room and packed some clothes and necessities before they headed down to the docks. She tightened her hold on the strap of her bag and he put a comforting hand on her back, "Are you worried about Raize?" She nodded with a soft sigh, not only worried about their son, but also about what the doctor had told her that morning, "Yeah..."

He smiled and hugged her to his side before they boarded the ship they would be taking, "Everything will be fine." She smiled a bit at him before looking ahead to see Koala and Hack chatting with a few others. They walked over to the small group and Koala cheerily greeted them, "Hi! Did you drop Raize off with Dragon-san?"

Tazz nodded and rubbed the back of her neck, "Yeah. I'm a bit nervous about it since this is the first time that we'll be away from him for an extended period of time..." Koala patted her shoulder with a reassuring smile, "I'm sure it'll be fine!" Tazz smiled a bit and nodded before jerking her thumb to the side, "We're gonna go get settled in for the trip. See you later."

The couple went inside the ship and picked the room they would be staying in before entering it as the ship set sail once supplies were finished being loaded. Tazz let her bag slide from her shoulder before she flopped on the bed with a small sigh as she set her hat aside, "This feels like it's going to take forever..." Sabo smiled and sat next to her as he smoothed her hair back, "We can only wait an see how long it'll take. Let's hope it's over soon."

She nodded and closed her eye as he continued to run his fingers through her hair. After a moment, Sabo took off his outwear, hat, and boots before sliding further onto the bed and laying next to her with a soft smile. She returned the smile and kicked her boots off as she turned to face him before he put an arm around her and pulled her into his chest.

He started rubbing her back and they both fell asleep after a while. Half an hour later, Tazz woke and sat up before looked down at Sabo, who was still dozing. She gently brushed his hair from his face and lightly traced his scar with her fingertips before a voice piped up from her other side, "When are you gonna tell him?"

She tensed for a moment before she trailed her fingers over the sleeping man's face as if etching his features into her memory, "I don't know what you're talking about, Ace..." The freckled spirit scoffed and put his fists on her temples before grinding them against her head despite that it didn't do much to her, "Don't lie to me. I heard what the doctor said." She sighed softly and ran her fingers through Sabo's hair, "So you're the reason why my shoulder felt cold.... I might tell him sometime after we get back to Vartigo. I'm worried about how he'll react..."

Ace leaned against her back and put his chin on the top of her head, though she could barely feel his weight, "I don't think it'll be so bad." She sighed again and cupped the blond's cheek, smiling a bit when he nuzzled against her palm, "I'm not so sure about that... I'll tell him when I'm ready." Sabo's brows furrowed and he breathed deeply as he pressed his cheek further into her hand while humming sleepily, "Tell me what?"

She tensed before rubbing his cheek with a soft smile as Ace vanished from sight, "How much I love you." He smiled and opened his eyes before reaching up to cup her cheek, "I love you, too." She held his hand to her cheek and nuzzled his palm as they gazed into each other's eyes.


	21. Stowaway

Sabo gently pulled Tazz down for a kiss and she leaned over onto his chest as she returned it as their eyes slid shut. After a few moments of the loving kiss, they parted and smiled at each other before she moved away so he could sit up. He ruffled his hair and looked at her with his deep blue eyes glinting with curiosity, "So, any reason as to why you were talking to yourself?"

She leaned on one hand and waved the other dismissively, "I was just talking to Ace." Sabo blinked and tilted his head a bit to the side, "Ace? I haven't seen him since we left his resting place." He felt a slightly cold weight on his shoulder, "I'm still here, Blondie."

He looked over to see Ace leaning on his shoulder with his arm and a lazy smile on his face. Sabo raised a brow and folded his legs, "Where have you been?" Ace rolled his hand in a vague gesture as he tilted his head side-to-side, "Oh, you know. Here and there."

Sabo gave a hum and looked from Ace to Tazz, "So what were you two talking about?" Ace looked at her and his dark eyes shined with mischief, "I was asking her when she was gonna tell you that she-" He was cut off as Tazz, in a panic, flicked his forehead with her index finger from a Haki-covered hand.

He let out a yelp as he held his forehead and fell off the bed, landing soundlessly on his back. They all took a moment to realize that she had actually made contact with him and she looked at her hand in slight amazement, "Well, would you look at that. You can actually hurt ghosts with Haki like you can with Logia power-holders." Ace rubbed his forehead as he peeked over the edge of the bed, flinching a bit at the glare that Tazz shot him.

Sabo just blinked at her before looking at Ace, "What were you saying?" Sweat began to bead down the freckled man's face as a shiver went through him from the intensity of Tazz's glare, "O-Oh, it was n-nothing!" Sabo frowned a bit and looked to Tazz just as her harsh glare switched to a soft smile, "You sure?"

She nodded and waved her hand dismissively, "Yeah. It was nothing important." Sabo watched her for a moment before nodding a bit, "If you say so." He got out of bed and stretched a bit before looking at Tazz with a smile, "How about we go get some fresh air?"

She returned the smile and nodded before getting up and putting her boots and hat on. Sabo put his outerwear, hat, and boots on before heading to the door with Tazz behind him and Ace floating after her with his arms crossed as they left the room. He hovered over her shoulder and looked at her from the corner of his eye as he whispered, "You should tell him."

Sabo heard a yelp and looked back to see Tazz stretching Ace's cheeks painfully with a tick-mark on her forehead as she glared at him. The blond arched a brow and tilted his head a bit, "Everything alright?" Tazz gave him a warm smile and continued to pull at Ace's cheeks as pained tears filled his eyes while he grasped at her Haki-covered forearms, "Peachy keen!"

Sabo nodded and turned back around and continued walking. Once his back was turned, Tazz glared at Ace once more before releasing his cheeks and making the Haki on her arms dissipate as she whispered harshly, "I'll tell him when I'm ready, so drop it." He pouted and rubbed his cheeks, "Alright, alright!"

They continued on to the deck and went over to the railing. Tazz and Sabo leaned against it as Ace floated in lazy circles above them. She took a deep breath of the salty air and looked out at the small waves, "At least it's a rather peaceful day."

Sabo nodded in agreement and a voice between them spoke up, "I didn't get to see views like this since I was always kept inside with those pirates." Tazz and Sabo stiffened before looking down at the boy that climbed up on the railing between them. Raize simply grinned innocently at the two as Ace snickered above.

Tazz's eyes widened and she put her head in her hands, "What are you doing here, Raize?!" The boy swung his legs as they dangled over the edge of the railing, "I hid in a barrel that was going to be put on this ship." She groaned and slumped down to her knees as she folded her arms over the railing and buried her face in them, "You promised you'd behave..."

Ace crossed his legs ankle-over-knee as he put his hands behind his head, "I watched him cross his fingers behind his back." Raize whipped his head to look up at Ace with a pout, "Uncle Ace!" Tazz slowly raised her head enough to peek over her arms and give the boy a dark look, "Raize..."

He gave a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of his head, "Heh heh..." She sighed and planted her face back in her arms before standing up and lifting her hat to run a hand through her hair, "I hope you know that this means I don't have to keep my side of the promise." Raize's shoulders slumped as he lowered his head, saddened by her words.

She watched him for a moment before sighing again and putting her hat back on her head, holding it there with one hand as she put the other on her hip, "I guess... I can just change it so that you don't get any dessert for a week when we get back..." Raize looked up at her with a bright grin and jumped off the railing and onto her, clinging to her as he nuzzled her, "Yay!"

She caught him and smiled a bit before glancing up at Ace, "Just as stubborn as Freckles..." He turned his head to glare at her for the nickname and she playfully stuck her tongue out. She looked back at Raize, "Just promise me that you'll stay right next to me or your dad the whole time unless we say other wise, alright?"

The boy looked up at her and nodded with a wide smile, "I promise!" She nodded back and leaned against the railing with Raize still in her arms, "Good." She looked back at the horizon as Raize turned so he could look as well and he leaned back against her.

They stayed like that for a while, just relaxing at watching the waves off in the distance with minimal chatter. When the sky began to turn orange, Tazz moved away from the railing and cradled Raize, who had fallen asleep, as she looked at Sabo with a smile, "I'm gonna take him to the room." He smiled back and nodded, watching her walk off inside before turning to look when he felt eyes on him.

He saw Ace watching him, looking like he was thinking about something, and frowned a bit, "I don't like you watching at me with that 'you-know-more-than-me' look..." Ace shrugged his shoulders and floated down to lay down on the railing with his hands behind his head, "I'm not saying out of fear that Tazz would kick my ass. She's scary when she's angry." Sabo nodded in agreement and rubbed the back of his neck, "Oh, I know. I was on the receiving end of that anger a while ago..."

Ace snorted and stared up at the sky, "You must've royally fucked up." The blond nodded again and looked up as well, "I did. She forgave me faster than I forgave myself." Ace tilted his head to look at the other, "What'd you even do?"

Sabo grimaced and looked to the side, "I didn't listen to her when she was telling me that a recruit was a traitor who later tried to kill me. Tazz ended up taking the stab that was supposed to have killed me..." The freckled man blinked before turning his gaze back to the sky, "Daaaaamn." Sabo nodded and sighed softly before straightening, "Yeah... I'm gonna go check on them."

He went inside and headed to their room, peeking inside to see Tazz laying Raize on the bed. He entered and shut the door behind him before walking over to wrap his arms around her from behind and put his chin on the top of her head, "He's fast asleep, huh?" She nodded and leaned back against his chest, "Yeah. It was a bit of a struggle trying to get him in one of your t-shirts and boxers since he kept nearly falling over every minute."

He chuckled softly and hugged her a bit tighter before reaching up with one hand to gently hold her chin and turn her head towards him as he leaned down, pressing his lips to hers as his eyes slid shut. Her eye closed and she returned the kiss before pulling away a bit with a soft smile, "You sure do like kisses. Not that I'm complaining." He blushed lightly and looked away with a slight pout, "I can't help it..."

She chuckled softly and pecked his cheek before nodding her head at Raize, "It's about dinnertime, so we'll have to wake up the runt." He nodded and released her so she could shake Raize's shoulder, "Wake up, hun." The boy groaned softly and rolled away, "Don't wanna..."

Tazz sighed before slowly crawling on the bed, "You better wake up, squirt, or else I'm gonna do something drastic." He stiffened but remained still and she reached out, "You asked for it~!" She grabbed him and pulled him closer before she began tickling his sides.

He squealed and tried to escape as he laughed loudly and tears quickly sprung to his eyes, "N-NO! STOP! MOM!" Tazz grinned and continued tickling him for a minute before ending her torture and squishing his cheeks together as she chuckled. His laughing slowed to giggles and he squished her cheeks back.

Sabo watched with a happy smile, the sweet scene making his heart swell with joy. When they calmed down, Tazz slid off the bed and Raize hopped down after before she smiled at Sabo, "Let's go get some dinner." He smiled back and nodded before heading over to the door, holding it open for her and the boy.

They went down to the galley and and chose a table near the door to sit at. Raize sat at it to claim it as theirs as Tazz and Sabo went to get food, the former once more getting more than usual. They sat down and Tazz slid Raize's plate over to him before she started eating.

Raize quickly cleaned his plate before climbing onto Tazz's lap and leaning back against her as she kept eating. After a moment, he felt her slump against him as her face was buried in the top of his head, her arm raised as if about to put the food on it in her mouth, and he tilted his head up, "Mama?" Sabo chuckled and continued eating, "Don't worry about her. She has narcolepsy, so she's prone to falling asleep at random moments."

Ace popped out from behind her and poked at her cheeks, "She's got narcolepsy? She didn't have it before I left." Tazz lifted her head as she woke up and blinked before rubbing her eye, "Dammit..." Ace floated down to sit next to her on the bench, "When'd you develop narcolepsy?"

She hummed as she thought before shrugging a shoulder, "I think a little after you set out." Ace turned around and leaned back with his elbows on the table, "Oh? I think that's around when I developed mine." She ruffled her hair under her hat, "I think the narcolepsy in my family skips a generation since I don't think my old man has it."

Ace shrugs and looks up at the ceiling, "Who knows..." Tazz and Sabo finished eating and he gathered all of their plates and smiled at her, "Why don't you go get ready for bed? I'll take care of these." She smiled back and brushed her fingertips against his cheecks, "Thanks, honey~!"

He blushed lightly but rolled his eyes with a small smile before taking the dishes away. Tazz chuckled to herself while Ace snickered and she stood after moving Raize from her lap. She took his hand and started back to their room with Ace floating behind.

Once they got to the room, Tazz picked Raize up and put him on the bed so he could crawl under the covers, promptly passing out once his head hit the pillow. Tazz jerked her thumb at the door as she look at Ace, "Now get out so I can change unless you want me to force you out." He held his hands up defensively and backed up, phasing through the door.

She quickly changed into her pajama pants and tank top before pulling back the covers just as Sabo walked in with an amused smile, "Did you threaten Ace? He was out there with his arms crossed muttering something about a 'devil woman'." She smiled and nodded as she slid into bed, "Yeah. I had to get changed and I didn't want him just floating there." Sabo chuckled and got changed before flicking the lights off and getting in bed.

Tazz pulled the covers over all three of them and cuddled back against Sabo so he was spooning her as she pulled Raize against her chest, "Ace! You can do whatever it is you do at night while we sleep." The freckled ghost entered the room and settled in a corner to go into a sleep-like state, though it wasn't necessary for him since he no longer required rest. After a few minutes, Tazz and Sabo fell asleep for the night.


End file.
